Lagos State government has disclosed that more than 6.4 million residents have so far been captured under the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) exercise as part of efforts to strengthen governance, planning and service delivery across the state.

Tobosun Alake, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology,  revealed this during the ongoing ministerial press briefing marking the second-term anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

According to Alake, a total of 6,465,667 residents have been enrolled in the residency database, comprising 4,058,333 adults and 2,407,224 children.

The commissioner described the Lagos Identity Card Project, popularly known as LAG ID, as a major component of the state government’s strategy to improve governance efficiency and public service delivery under the THEMES development agenda.

He explained that the initiative was designed to provide government with a reliable and comprehensive population database capable of supporting planning, policy implementation and effective allocation of resources.

Alake noted that the agency operates an open framework that allows government institutions and private sector partners to independently participate in the system while leveraging a centralised data-sharing infrastructure.

According to him, the arrangement creates opportunities for partnerships, improved information management and enhanced value for both residents and businesses operating within Lagos.

The commissioner added that the initiative would further expand opportunities linked to the Lagos Residents Card and deepen the state’s digital transformation drive.

Speaking on security and digital enforcement, Alake disclosed that the state’s Safe City initiative had significantly increased digital traffic enforcement across Lagos.

He revealed that about 86,000 traffic violations were tracked within a few months, bringing the cumulative figure to about 737,000 recorded cases.

On technology-driven governance, the commissioner highlighted the role of Art and Technology Lagos, an annual conference organised by the Eko Innovation Centre in collaboration with the Lagos State Government.

According to him, the conference brings together technology stakeholders, policymakers, innovators and government officials to drive conversations around the development of a smarter and digitally connected Lagos.

Alake also stated that Lagos currently leads the country in data protection compliance, revealing that the state now has 109 certified data protection officers responsible for ensuring compliance and safeguarding residents’ data.

He explained that the government’s digital platforms now generate robust analytics that help authorities understand public interaction with online services.

“With technology, the state government has been able to know that an average 250,000 visit monthly,” he said.

“When we see our daily visitors on our online platform we are able to tell how many people are visiting our platforms, what they are clicking on and what they are using.

“Some of the services they are related with so we have backend analytics to tell us the number of visitors. I think the back end analytics is very robust and we respond to questions very quickly,” Alake added.

The commissioner further disclosed that the state had completed about 3,000 kilometres of fibre optic duct infrastructure extending to areas such as Alimosho, Ikorodu and Ibeju-Lekki.

He added that the government was planning to expand the infrastructure to 5,000 kilometres through partnerships with private sector investors.

Federal government, yesterday, said that it will now  launch the so-called  FreeTV, with over 100 channels for news, sports, education, entertainment and children’s programming in multiple Nigerian languages on June 17.

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had initially scheduled for May 15 for the launch.

But the new date was announced by Mohammed Idris,  minister of Information and National Orientation, on Wednesday during a facility tour of NIGCOMSAT, alongside Dr Charles Ebuebu, director general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and other stakeholders.

Idris said the long-awaited migration from analogue to digital broadcasting had finally become a reality after years of failed attempts and delays, describing the project as a major breakthrough for Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.

“I have been grappling with this idea of the DSO for many years. Moving our transmissions from analogue to digital has now happened and is ready to be commissioned by June 17,” the minister said.

He revealed that several channels had already been bundled onto the platform, adding that the digital transition would transform broadcasting, advertising and television consumption across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to him, the new platform introduces scientific audience measurement tools capable of tracking viewership patterns in real time, thereby giving advertisers reliable data for targeted campaigns.

“Now science is at play. If you are viewing a station, we know who is watching what and how many people are watching. Advertisers can now take informed decisions about the kind of programming Nigerians want to watch across all demographics,” Idris stated.

The minister said the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT, NBC, the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Information had made the digital transition possible, while commending President Bola Tinubu for providing the necessary support and resources.

He described previous DSO efforts as limited and expensive due to encrypted set-top boxes but noted that the new system would be free and accessible to millions of Nigerians.

“In the past, the boxes were encrypted and costly. Now this is free. Government has taken off some of those costs on behalf of Nigerians,” he said.

Idris stressed that unlike earlier pilot phases restricted to a few cities, the new digital platform would have nationwide and regional reach through NIGCOMSAT’s satellite infrastructure.

“Everybody can now watch whatever he wants in real time and painlessly. Free TV everywhere for everybody”, he declared.

The minister also hinted that the platform would challenge the dominance of existing pay-TV operators by offering Nigerians wider viewing options at no cost.

“I don’t want to always use the word ‘substitute’, but this offers opportunities you didn’t get before. You no longer have that monopoly again. Competition is going to set in. Content will grow and viewership will grow,” he said.

He added that the platform would initially launch in standard definition, SD, before quickly transitioning to high definition, HD, bringing Nigerian broadcasting in line with global standards.

“Soon after the launch, we are moving to HD. Nigeria will now compete globally. What you watch here is what you get anywhere,” Idris said.

The minister further disclosed that the service was already available via mobile application and had successfully undergone testing ahead of the official unveiling.

Also speaking during the tour, managing director and chief executive officer of NIGCOMSAT, described the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT and NBC as a strategic partnership that has strengthened service delivery and raised operational standards within Nigeria’s digital broadcasting ecosystem.

According to her, ongoing investments and satellite expansion plans under the current administration will guarantee reliable and continuous service delivery.

“The work has only just started. The work has only just begun,” she said.

Among those who accompanied the Honourable Minister on the tour were  Salihu Abdullahi Dembos, director-general, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); Jibrin Baba Ndace, director-general, Voice of Nigeria (VON); Mohammed Bulama, director-general, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); and Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general, National Orientation Agency (NOA), alongside other senior government officials and dignitaries.

Federal government, in partnership with the World Bank, has launched a fresh $65 million funding phase of the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project aimed at benefiting more than 24,000 Nigerians through professional training and institutional capacity development.

The initiative, coordinated by the National Universities Commission (NUC), is designed to strengthen procurement systems, environmental management and social standards across public and private institutions, while promoting transparency, accountability and sustainable development practices nationwide.

Abdullahi Ribadu, executive secretary of the Commission, disclosed this in Abuja during the signing of performance contracts for the additional SPESSE financing. He explained that the intervention builds on the gains of the initial $80 million SPESSE project, which became effective in 2021.

According to Ribadu, the programme has significantly improved institutional frameworks and developed professional expertise in key governance sectors. He noted that the initiative was introduced to address the shortage of qualified professionals in procurement, environmental management and social standards within both public and private institutions.

He said: “With the support of the World Bank and under the coordination of the NUC, six centres of excellence were established across the six geopolitical zones to provide sustainable capacity building in these critical sectors”.

Ribadu stated that the participating universities were selected through a transparent and competitive process based on institutional readiness, quality assurance and sustainability.

He added that the institutions have continued to produce skilled manpower capable of advancing transparency, environmental responsibility and inclusive national development.

He described the contract signing ceremony as a renewed commitment to accountability, sustainability and institutional excellence, noting that the centres have recorded major achievements, including the introduction of specialised academic programmes ranging from short courses to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

The NUC boss further disclosed that three of the six centres have already commenced PhD programmes, while the remaining centres are expected to begin by July 2026.

He added that under the new funding phase, the Commission targets at least 60 PhD graduates, enrolment of 60 foreign students, staff internships and expanded student exchange programmes with international institutions.

Also speaking, Adebowale Adedokun, director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), said the project has so far trained more than 2,700 officers from both the public and private sectors to improve procurement competence nationwide.

He said the next phase would support the rollout of Nigeria’s electronic procurement system and expand online capacity-building programmes for policymakers and small and medium-scale enterprises involved in managing public funds.

On his part,  Ishtiak Siddique, World Bank Task Team Leader for SPESSE, revealed that more than 40,000 participants had benefited from training under the original project, with over 4,000 certified in procurement, environmental and social standards.

Siddique said the additional funding would focus on strengthening the capacity of federal, state and local government agencies to improve development outcomes and service delivery, stressing that sustainability remained central to ensuring continuity beyond donor support.

For her part, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos,  reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to advancing professional capacity development under the SPESSE framework through postgraduate training, institutional ownership and international collaborations.