By Princewill Ekwujuru

Airtel Nigeria and the Government of Cross Rivers State has signed an agreement for the provision of integrated telecommunications solutions.

Speaking, Mr.Rajan Swaroop, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, at the MOU signing ceremony at the Government House, Calabar, said that the company would take telecommunications to the underserved rural communities of the state and support the government in increasing access to healthcare as well as the development of tourism and education, among others.

According to him, Airtel’s task is essentially to key into the transformation agenda of the Governor to take Cross River state to the next level, adding that Airtel has the resources, technological capability as well as the right attitude to make this happen.

Cross River State, he said, is blazing a trail, which will soon become an example for others to emulate and it goes without saying that our commitment to the project is 110 percent.

“At Airtel, our vision to become the most loved brand by Nigerians is clear and unshakeable. We believe that telecommunications is an enabler, which should liberate the latent creativity and entrepreneurial skills of the people.

So, this initiative is completely in line with our vision and fits into our objective to empower the people of Nigeria and make life and business more enjoyable for them”, Swaroop declared.

He congratulated the Government and people of Cross River State for embarking on this definitive initiative and hailed Governor Liyel Imoke for his vision and unparalleled passion for the development of this state has resulted in this monumental initiative.

Responding, Governor Imoke attributed the idea of the project to the vision of the government to take advantage of technology to provide an economy that is not solely dependent on oil and gas.

He stated that the initiative will enable the government provide services to people even in the remotest areas of the state, saying that he believes that government should be to reach those who need government most.

According to the Governor, “we believe that Cross River State is well positioned to take advantage of technology to improve service delivery, and Airtel originates from an environment that is not different from ours and so has the experience, and of course, the technical know-how to help us achieve our objective of developing a knowledge-based economy.