Lagos unveils free Wi-Fi internet service in public parks

As part of activities to mark 50 years of the existence of Lagos State, the Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has launched a free public Wi-Fi Internet service initiative.

Starting with the Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Alausa, Ikeja, Ambode informed that virtually all the parks in Lagos would have the free Wi-Fi Internet access facility.

Wi-Fi is a facility that allows computers, smart phones and other devices to connect to the Internet or communicate with one another without cable connection within a particular area.

Ambode unveiled the facility, a partnership with MainOne Cables yesterday.Represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Olufemi Odubiyi, the governor said the provision of free public Wi-Fi at the park was part of efforts by his administration to make Lagos a smart city.

He revealed that parks and gardens are being established in different parts of the state to provide conducive environment for recreation, citing the opening of Badagry Recreation Park last week as one of such.

“The increased patronage of these facilities, which is no longer restricted to festive season, has made it necessary to equip these centres with free public Wi-Fi to serve the needs of visitors to these parks. As you relax and enjoy the services in these parks, we are also making it possible to access your mail, browse and search the Internet on your tablets, smart phones and laptops via a reliable public Wi-Fi,” Ambode stated.

He stressed that with the launch of the free Wi-Fi, the state has empowered the people to express their views on the new citizen’s gate portal, a platform designed to bridge the communication gap between the citizen and the state government “as non-availability of data will no longer be a constraint.”