Tinubu, Bill Gates hold meeting in Riyadh on Technology and Seed Interests

President Bola Tinubu, in a meeting with Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, announced that his administration is investing in technology to ensure transparency and accountability while using it to collect taxes in Nigeria.

Tinubu stated that technology will accelerate the public sector’s performance delivery to the Nigerian people.

Technology remains a potent weapon against corruption and financial impropriety in public service, says Tinubu, who was having a side meeting with Bill Gates during the World Economic Forum meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Tinubu further expressed his,

Unwavering commitment to delivering reliable technology to support Nigeria’s current national consumer credit system.

Technology is the enemy of fraud, corruption, and irregularity. We have been working hard on improving technology. There is always the initial resistance. Corruption, self-interest, and fraudulent activity will always be an enemy, but when you bend that curve, you will receive the benefit, Tinubu said.

President Tinubu, drawing from his successful tenure as the former governor of Lagos State, shared a compelling example of how he harnessed technology to boost revenue.

When I was governor of Lagos State, I faced challenges. I started with N600 million and ended up with over N8 billion. And right now, they are targeting a trillion naira with technology in the state. There is no other shortcut. We must invest in technology. We must focus, be diligent, and work hard, the president said.

While Tinubu expressed concern about using technology to create an effective system, MOSIP is an identity platform-based initiative to make tax collection more accessible. Gates also discussed the seeds (GMOs) countries like the U.S. and Brazil have been using to increase the productivity of various crops.

There is no safety issue with these seeds. Supporting the minister of agriculture’s effort in this regard is something that we feel is important and worth supporting, Gates stated.

Meanwhile, as earlier reported, Gates, through his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is scheduled for an event in Nairobi regarding policies regarding seeds and their production in Africa’s agricultural economy.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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