Osun Distributes 23,100 Computers To Students, Plans Cheap Phones

Staff February 20, 2014

The Osun State Government has so far distributed 23,100 computer tablets popularly known in the state as ‘Opon Imo.’ The tablets were produced through a partnership between the state and a Chinese firm. The total number of the tablets already produced is 50, 000.
The state said further distribution of the device was being delayed to allow some modification that would personalise each device for every student in a way that would prevent theft and wrong use of the product.
The state also assured Nigerians on durable and affordable telephone handsets that would soon be produced from its technology village to meet the needs of citizens across the country.
The State Commissioner for Inter-governmental Affairs and Special Duties, Mr. Ajibola Bashir, who dropped the hint at the weekend during a media parley hosted in Lagos  by the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Muiz Banire, further disclosed that to produce extra 100,000 pieces of the devices, the state government had to enter into a partnership with the Chinese firm producing the device to transfer the technology to Nigeria by establishing a factory in the state’s technology village in Ilesa.
In the factory, other products such as telephone handsets, laptop computers among others would be produced and repaired by Nigerians who have been trained by the foreign firm.
According to him: “We are doing this for technological transfer because it won’t be economically reasonable to import that magnitude of devices from abroad. So, why not have the manufacturing company here. As we speak now, the company is already on ground and manufacturing and installation of the software of this product is being done in Ilesa.
“The company will solve the problem of telephone handsets rip-off on Nigerians because it would be able to meet the demands of Nigerian telephone consumers and this would be cheaper. Over 5,000 citizens of the state have been trained on the manufacturing of telecommunication devices and some of them have been sent to Ghana for further skill acquisition,” Bashir said.
He further disclosed that the administration recruited no fewer than 7,350 teachers that have been trained with a view to taking the public schools in the state to the level of highbrow private schools in the state.
He revealed that private schools in the state are even losing students to public schools due to facilities being put in place and the condusive learning environment.
“When the administration of Aregbesola berthed in the state of Osun, the first thing we had to brainstorm on is how to jump start the non-existent economy of the state because the allocation that accrues to the state from the federation account was not even enough to pay salaries of workers,” he said, adding, “at a point, one of our leaders suggested that we should establish a factory that would be producing slippers so that we can generate funds to implement all the things we had promised the people.”
THIS DAY