Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to accelerating digital transformation, saying technology is now central to improving governance, stimulating economic growth, strengthening public service delivery, and tackling insecurity across the state.
The governor made the declaration on Monday while receiving the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Computer Society during a courtesy visit at the Government House, Rayfield, Jos, ahead of the Society’s international conference.
Mutfwang commended the leadership of the Society for selecting Plateau State as the host of its international conference despite security concerns and negative narratives circulating on social media, saying their decision reflected confidence in the state’s improving security situation.
“I want to thank you for the confidence you have in us by agreeing to allow us to host this conference. I want to appreciate those of you who stood firmly to discountenance any negative information about Plateau State,” the governor said.
Speaking on his administration’s digital agenda, Mutfwang disclosed that the state was at an advanced stage of establishing a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) centre in Jos in partnership with development partners, revealing that about 600 successful applicants had already been interviewed and were set to begin work.
He said the government would continue expanding digital governance through the adoption of e-governance, e-commerce and other technology-driven initiatives aimed at improving efficiency and service delivery.
The governor also revealed that technology has become a critical component of the state’s security architecture, noting that recent technological deployments gave security agencies a tactical advantage during an attack in Riyom Local Government Area.
“We are leveraging on technology to face the security challenges… because of the deployment of technology, we were able to have advantage over them,” he stated.
While acknowledging the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence, Mutfwang urged Nigerian ICT professionals to take the lead in addressing emerging risks associated with the rapidly evolving technology.
Earlier, President of the Nigerian Computer Society, Aliyu Sirajo, praised the Mutfwang administration for its strides in digital innovation and described Plateau as a fitting venue for the Society’s international conference.
“The selection of Plateau State was the most peaceful and the most seamless selection of our international conference. When Plateau State was announced, nobody objected, and I am pleased that I have personally met peaceful people on the Plateau,” Sirajo said.
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He disclosed that following concerns over security reports, the Society dispatched an assessment team to Plateau State, whose findings, he said, contradicted the negative narratives circulating on social media.
“The report I had after their visit was, ‘We do not see what the media is portraying and what people are saying,’” he added.
Sirajo commended the hospitality of Plateau residents and attributed the peaceful atmosphere in the state to Governor Mutfwang’s leadership. He expressed appreciation for the support provided by the state government towards the successful hosting of the conference.
According to him, the conference will complement the state’s digital economy agenda by positioning Plateau as an emerging ICT hub capable of attracting technology companies, investors, innovators, and digital entrepreneurs.
