Data centres ‘ll enhance ICT service delivery, fight insecurity — Pantami

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, says data centres nationwide, will enhance ICT service delivery and assist security agencies to effectively curtail insecurity nationwide.

Pantami said this on Monday in Kano after inspecting the Tier 4 data centre, which acccording to him, is ready for inauguration.

The minister also said the centre would enhance ICT service delivery to both public and private institutions in the country.

Pantami, who disclosed that there were other data centres in Abuja and Southern part of the country, noted that each of them were capable of providing both physical and logical security to its subscribers.

The minister said the Kano centre would now serve as regional office for the Federal Government-owned Galaxy Backbone limited, established to provide ICT services to both public and private institutions.

“That is part of the initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari to provide quality digital services to the citizens.

“We have extended the services to generate more revenue to the government and provide quality service to the citizens and security agencies.

“We have sanitised SIM card database; we also introduced the policy of NIN and SIM registration, not for us to use, but for our security institutions.

“So, what we are doing in the system is to sanitise it and provide facilities for our security institutions to leverage on and be successful in curtailing insecurity challenges bedeviling Nigeria.

“We have done that effectively, what remains is for the security institutions to utilise what they have been provided with.

“The facilities are there for free, and if they are utilised effectively, I have no doubt that it will address significantly security challenges in Nigeria,” he said.

He said that the Tier 4 Data Centre in Kano, had 0.7 petabyte storage capacity, adding “there is scope of extension when the need arises, depending on the citizens and customers’ demands.

“If you built a big one without demand, then maintenance would be a challenge.

“What we built here is 0.7 petabyte. If our customer base increases, we have the immediate capacity for expansion,” he said.