Obaseki set to expand Internet connectivity by connecting Edo councils with fibre optic cables

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, is partnering ICT infrastructure firm, Geniserve Limited, to connect all 18 councils of Edo State with fibre optic cables, to enhance internet connectivity.

Obaseki, at the formal signing of the documents for the partnership, at Government House, Benin City, said the government, with the deal, targets the installation of about 2,000km of fibre optic connectivity across the state.

A statement from the office of the Special Assistant, Media Projects, Edo State Government, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, quoted the governor as saying: “We are making history today because we have just signed an agreement with our partners to build a fibre optic connectivity across all the 18 councils of Edo State. We believe that by the end of the exercise, we would have in excess of 2,000km of fibres connecting various parts of the state.”

He added that the deal would ensure most schools and primary healthcare centres in the state are connected to the Internet, noting: “We would create hotspots across several communities in the state. We would make sure that most of our primary healthcare facilities are connected and roll out more services, particularly the telemedicine services to the people in the rural areas.”

“We believe this signing is significant, given our strategy and plans to make Edo a smart, digital state, where government can deliver services to its citizens, using state-of-the-art and modern technology infrastructure that we are making available.
“This journey didn’t start today. We had, over four years ago, signed a deal with Mainone and Facebook to build a digital ring around metropolitan Benin City. On the back of the success of that project, we thought we should extend it to other parts of the state.”

The representative of Geniserve Limited, Mr. Tunde Famoroti, hailed the state government for the partnership, adding that the project covers installation of fibre optic cables in Edo’s 18 councils, School of Nursing, School of Agriculture, among others.