February 21, 2018

The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) on Wednesday advised Lagos State Government to put in place a good cyber-security policy for a successful implementation of its cashless directive.

Mr Jide Awe, the NCS Conferences Committee Chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the directive was commendable but required a good cyber-security policy that would safeguard the government and the citizens.

Awe also advised that the initiative should be introduced with caution and not imposed on the citizens without some incentives to them.

NAN reports that Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Feb. 19 directed that all taxes and levies due to the state government should be paid through banks and online banking platforms such as webpay, USSD as from March 1.

Ambode gave the directive shortly after paying his personal Land Use Charge at the Guaranty Trust Bank at Opebi, Ikeja.

He said that such payments would reduce fraud and encourage people to embrace cashless economy.

“In order to ensure that government improves on quality of service to the people, effective from March 1, no payment of taxes will be made by cash anymore across the state,’’ Ambode had said.

However, Awe said that there should be a good cyber-security policy and a proper implementation of the policy for the achievement of the aim of the directive.

“The cashless economy has already been introduced by the Federal Government, and Lagos State being the most advanced technologically, and the biggest economy toeing the line, is good.

“The state is ready for the initiative, but government needs to put some things in proper place such as a cyber-security policy for the initiative to work.

“At this level, such an initiative should be introduced with caution and not imposed on the citizens without some incentives to them,’’ he added.

The Information Technology (IT) expert also said that Lagos State did not have the best in terms of broadband for effective implementation of the directive.

Awe said that there was the need to create adequate awareness on the new initiative to ensure inclusion since a large number of Lagos residents used cash for transactions.

“There should be a lot of sensitisation for the residents to let them know the benefits of the new initiative.

“The media for awareness creation should extend beyond the newspapers which are bought by people, who are already aware and familiar with the benefits of going cashless.

“The sensitisation should include the market places, where people, who do not use or understand what going cashless is all about, are operating,’’ he said.

Awe listed the benefits of cashless economy to include ability to track revenue and reduction in transaction costs.
A banker and resident of the state, Mr Ayooluwa Shoga, also commended the government directive but said that its implementation was being hurried.

Shoga said that many Lagos residents had yet to prepare for cashless era.

“The government should have embarked on intensive awareness creation to sensitise residents to the importance of the initiative for at least three months before its implementation.

“The state government has to take into consideration that all the residents are not educated; some do not even know how to go about online payments.

“For example, some market women do not have ATM cards neither do they have phones that have access to internet,’’ he said.

Shoga called on the government to organise workshops and seminars to tutor residents on various ways to carry out e-payments.

Similarly, Mr Lanre Farotimi, a businessman, who also lives in Lagos, said that the government should be mindful that many residents of the state were uneducated.

He said that lack of inclusion could mar the cashless policy meant for the good of the state.

“I am not satisfied that the state government did not create awareness at all about the plan before implementing it.

“ It gave residents just two weeks to master online transactions; this is not good enough,’’ Farotimi said.