| A project was said to have been conceived by
the state government very recently to facilitate the business of government,
education, commerce, training and health systems in the state.
The project is a satellite-based communication facility for delivery of a
broad range of multimedia services incorporating video, audio and data to
user - organizations.
Jigawa State Broadband Network Project was initiated by Governor Saminu
Turaki because of his government's desire for rapid socio-economic growth of
the young state and global competitiveness in the area of acquisition,
absorption and application of information technology in the face of the
disparity between the developed and developing countries in virtually all
sectors and is increasingly becoming more complex and alarming in the areas
of Information and Communication Technology.
This is even more serious and glaring in the Information Technology sector,
where there is clear threat of exclusion as well as isolation of the
developing nations in Information and Communication Technology advancement.
So, as Nigeria braces up for the Information Technology era, Jigawa State
strives to be identified as the first state in Nigeria at the forefront of
its development [IT] by commissioning a broadband access network project. It
is also a multi-purpose communication project designed to provide efficient
and reliable means of communication to the outside world.
It is equally to serve as the platform for the development of an IT manpower
development base for indigenes of the state where over 3000 people have been
trained by government state established Computer Institute called, "Informatic
Institute" located at Kazaure and intended to be converted to a State
University this year in addition to the 150 indigenes sent to Singapore to
study computer science and information technology by the state government.
The Jigawa Network is controlled by the main earth station located at Dutse
with uplink and downlink facilities to the satellite. The project in
addition to its anticipated social services to the people of Jigawa State
has strong commercial viability. And because of the tremendous demand of
Internet Services in the state and country at large, the provision of fast
Internet Access and Turnkey Wide Area Network Connectivity is reliable and
cost effective.
It is this strong commercial viability that prompted Jigawa State Government
to set up a Technical and Engineering Company and charged it with the
responsibility of manning the affairs of the network. The firm is "Galaxy
Information Technology and Telecommunications Company Limited."
Since the company is responsible for the commercialization of the
Broadband Access Network as well as deploying additional technologies in the
Information Technology and Telecommunications sector of the state that will
serve as launch-pad for viability.
Galaxy ITT Limited is in the process of establishing its presence in Kano,
Lagos, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto and Abuja in addition to the whole
of Jigawa State before the end of the year. The system can carry a wide
variety of communications services including Television Broadcast, Internet
Communications, Remote Area Telephony and Data Services, Corporate Data,
Video Conferencing, Aggregated Telecommunications Data Traffic, Weather
Forecasting and Global Navigation Satellite Systems.
With this innovation and existence of this gigantic project, the prospect of
Jigawa State is envisaged to be enormous and without limit as a long term
giant investment that will generate revenue for the state, especially when
neighbouring states begin to connect themselves with the wireless network
later this year as planned.
Turaki was commended by President Olusegun Obasanjo and a Communication
Technology Merit Award was given to him by the Minister of Information Chief
Chukwuemeka Chikelu for a job well done. With the project, many investors
have been attracted to establish their outlets in the state.
Today, all government functionaries and business outfits are connected to
the internet; an achievement yet to be matched by any state government in
the country and worthy of emulation.
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