The Federal Government has installed no fewer than 906 Close Circuit TV cameras in strategic parts of Lagos State to enhance security surveillance, Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje, Commissioner for Science and Technology, said on Wednesday.
Mabadeje announced this at a news conference in Ikeja organised to mark Gov.Babatunde Fashola’s sixth year in office.
He said the cameras were deployed from the 1,000 earmarked for the state, saying the devices were already assisting security agencies to track the activities of criminals.
The deployment of CCTV cameras nationwide to enhance surveillance, is a core component of the FG`s National Public Security Communication System Programme.
“Yes the project is on and it is real. 906 of the 1,000 cameras earmarked for the state have already been delivered and they have already being installed at secret locations across the metropolis.
“Though they have not been officially commissioned, they are already being put into use by the security agencies to track the activities of criminals,’’ he said.
The commissioner noted that the installed cameras were sophisticated devices as they had the capacity to generate video, voice and data simultaneously, to ensure effective surveillance.
He denied the report that the installation of the equipment had initially caused a rift between the state and the Federal Government.
According to him, the parties actually had an understanding on the deployment of the devices.
Mabadeje said the project would complement the state government`s efforts at protecting the lives and properties of residents of the state.
The commissioner said that the state government had initiated its own CCTV installation in 2009, noting that it had helped to enhance security in certain parts of the state.
The commissioner said the state government was harnessing innovative technologies in the various sectors to promote the development of the state.
He said the government was also giving technical assistance to Nollywood in the area of movie production and on ways to check the menace of piracy.
Mabadeje said the government was aggressively expanding IT infrastructure in the state with a view to improving internet penetration and using technology to drive development.
