THE Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has announced the donation of land to it by the Itas-Gadau Local Government of Bauchi State for the setting up of Community Network Centre.
Announcing the donation in a press release on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Executive Director of CITAD, Y. Z. Ya’u, said the Chairman of Itas-Gadau Local Government of Bauchi State, Honorable Abdullahi Muhammad Maigari (Yayan Gida) gave the plot of land located in Itas Town for a building to accommodate the structures needed for the proposed community network in the local community.
Ya’u said CITAD welcomes the donation as demonstration of the leadership of the local government to create the necessary conditions for their citizens’ digital self-inclusion which will contribute in facilitating their access to digital business and opportunity as well as increase access to education. “We thank the chairman for this exemplary gesture and assure him that CITAD will ensure the proper use of the land to power its digital programmes for the community,” Ya’u stated.
He enjoined other local government chairmen in the country, especially areas where interventions are taking place, to emulate Honorable Maigari, the chairman of Itas-Gadau local government’s good gesture.
He noted that the Covid-19 pandemic and the attendant lockdown ultimately highlighted the importance of internet as many human activities shifted online, a situation, which he said was not possible for many due to their exclusion from digital opportunities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown brought to a sharp relieve the importance of the internet as learning, business and other social interactions shifted to online. Such shift was not possible for many people who have remained excluded from the digital opportunities. In Nigeria such exclusion is large as less than 50% of the population is actually connected,” Ya’u stressed, as he added that among many strategies aimed at addressing the connectivity gap and bridging the digital divide is the use of community networks.
Ya’u stated: “There are many strategies aimed at addressing this connectivity gaps and bridging the digital divide. One of them is the use of community networks. Community networks are telecommunications infrastructure deployed and operated by local groups to meet their own communication needs and also a communications infrastructure, designed and erected to be managed for use by local communities. This communication needs can be voice, data, etc. and can be point of convergence for community to come together to address their common community problems.
“In Nigeria, Community Network is seen as a recent development. To stimulate the evolution and growth of the community networks in the country, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK through the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is implementing a project aimed at enhancing the capacity of communities to design, deploy and manage community networks to meet their communication needs while at the same time engaging regulators and other relevant policy makers to enact policies and provide support that could enhance the flourishing of community networks in the country. This project has pilot sites in seven communities across three states, namely; Jamaare and Itas in Bauchi State, Kafanchan in Kaduna State and four sites in rural community of Federal Capacity Territory, Abuja (Tungen Ashere, Dakwa Community, Pasepa and Leleyi Gwari.)”
According to Ya’u, all the organisations in the seven sites under reference are already being trained to enhance their capacity to undertake the rollout of their community networks.
Meanwhile Ya’u has called on the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to fast track its process of policy development for community networks in the country just as he asked Galaxy Backbone which has declared its support and commitment to promoting community networks to demonstrate their commitment by reaching out to those that are already working to rollout networks in their communities.
He urged NCC to take the lead in speeding up the flourishing of community networks in the country by providing free spectrums to rural communities where community networks are being provided.
While also calling on the USPF and NITAD to extend their digital inclusion programmes to community networks initiatives so that these efforts could become more sustainable; Ya’u demanded of political leaders in Itas-Gadau Local Government and in other communities, especially members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly and House Representatives to as a matter of their constituents’ interest support efforts to build the community networks in their communities to address the digital marginalization of their people.
Ya’u appealed to philanthropists and business individuals in local governments to assist in the building of community network centres.
