Security in the 21st century without adequate research and investments in technology is a mirage. Europe is currently battling with a humanitarian crisis of migrants risking their lives in the Mediterranean Sea in their quest for greener pastures.
New measures were announced in Europe recently, one of which was targeting and destroying the boats of smugglers. That part caught my interest and I thought; how can that be achieved without the use of technology? It will certainly be difficult to manually police the sea, searching for the boats of smugglers.
Well, let me bring it back home by asking the following questions. Can Nigeria achieve security of her territory, which includes land and sea without the use of technology? Are we making the right investments in that direction or are we just playing lip service to the issue of security?
The last couple of years have seen Nigeria grapple with one security challenge or the other. Towns and villages have been completely destroyed; places of worship have been desecrated; homes, media houses, national and international institutions have been torched, and lives have been wasted without regard by terrorist gangs and groups.
My take is that technology has a great role to play in checkmating these and my first recommendation will be for the government to make the development of a central database a matter of ‘urgent national priority’. — Continue Reading
