According to President Bola Tinubu, his administration is spending money on technology that is specifically designed to guarantee accountability and transparency in government, as well as to speed up public sector performance and service delivery to the Nigerian people.
The President revealed this in a meeting with Microsoft founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.
In a statement by Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu opined that technology is a weapon that is guaranteed to be successful against corruption and financial recklessness in public service.
“Technology is the enemy of fraud, corruption, and irregularity. We have been working hard on improving technology.
“There is always the initial resistance. Corruption, self-interest, and fraudulent activity will always be an enemy, but when you bend that curve, you will receive the benefit. The nation will receive the benefit,” the President said.
He took Mr. Gates down memory lane on how he maximized the use of technology while he was the Governor of Lagos.
“When I was governor of Lagos State, I faced challenges. I started with N600 million and ended up with over N8 billion. And right now, they are targeting a trillion naira with the use of technology in the state. There is no other shortcut. We must invest in technology. We must focus, be diligent, and work hard.”
During his speech, Gates provided the president with information about a single identity technology platform that can combine diverse data and emphasized the importance of data harmonization for planning, security, and tax efficiency.
“We are working with Wale Edun, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, on digitisation. Before you came into office, there were a few things attempted in identity management. But they have been very scattered. There have been multiple identification systems.
“Now, there is a plan to take that technology called MOSIP and use it for this identification platform so that people can get digital benefits. We are providing support for that, and we can provide more support.
“With MOSIP ID, there is potential application in all government payment programmes. It helps with payment efficiency and bank accounts, and eventually, when everyone is using that, it makes tax collection easier.
Responding to Gates, Tinubu said, “We will look at this and work on it further. I am proud of Nigeria’s youths. They are very excited and creative with technology. They encourage us as we continue to press our reform efforts forward for their future prosperity. This is Nigeria’s time to become what it ought to be.”
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