How :Smart City’ project will change face of governance in Nigeria – Gov. Uba Sani

By Andrew Oota , Abuja

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani said, the State is partnering with China to build e-government in order to enhance efficiency, public security and transparency in public service.

He expressed optimism on Tuesday, saying that the project will further assist his administration to establish an e-government, make education, healthcare and talent cultivation “smart,” and boost the use of renewable energy.

The Governor stated this after Nigeria and China strengthened their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, stressing that he is thrilled to see Kaduna partnering with China in a “smart city” project.

The “smart city” project, he said, aligns with Nigeria’s quest for industrialization, hence, his State would go all out to ensure that the project is brought to fruition.

According to him, Kaduna State which is among the six Northeastern region of Nigeria has over five million population and its 80 per cent people are mainly into agriculture, maintaining that “the smart city project which will be built under cooperation with Chinese tech giant Huawei will be of immense benefit not only to Kaduna people, but to the entire Northeastern region.”

Sani stated that his administration would leverage on Nigeria’s ties with China to attract more investors, revealing that two months ago his state partnered with North China’s Hebei Province to construct an industrial park.

It is recalled that President Bola Tinubu last week led a delegation of Nigerians to China, where Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu held talks and announced the elevation of China-Nigeria ties.

The meeting saw the signing of cooperation documents including the application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, peanut exports to China, while the smart city project is one of several broader deals between China and Nigeria that have been inked during the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, FOCAC.