Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has said reforms by his administration in the digital and technology space over the last eight years had revolutionised the state, launching it and its people into the super digital highway.
Obaseki spoke at the launch of the Edo State Digital Policy and Edo Data Centre, the first data centre owned by a state in Nigeria.
Noting that the reforms had repositioned Edo as a leading state in digital inclusion in Nigeria, Obaseki said the government was leveraging on technology as a catalyst for socio-economic development and inclusive growth.
He said, “I welcome you to the only data center owned by a state in Nigeria. This event is significant because we have started a revolution in Edo State, a digital revolution. We are rounding up with a policy statement that will guide this revolution into the future.
“The population of Edo is skilled towards the youths as they are born in a digital age. The future is digital. It will be difficult to navigate the world today without technology. If you want to develop and grow rapidly, you must begin to think of how to use technology.
“The pace of the advancement of technology in the world today is scary. So, just imagine those who have not started yet; I don’t think they can live in the future world. In Edo, we have always been ahead in our history. We have been a knowledgeable people as we interacted at a global level over 500 years ago on our own level.
“To catch up, we had to do something else and different. That was why from the beginning it was clear to us that we had to introduce technology and make sure that we begin to retrain our young ones, the youths, to own this digital world and the confidence in it.”