Nigeria Focused On Investing In Technology To Ensure Transparency, Tinubu Tells Bill Gates

President Bola Tinubu met Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Sunday, during which the former talked about how his administration was focused on investing in technology to fight corruption by ensuring transparency.

Tinubu and Gates met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

"Technology is the enemy of fraud, corruption, and irregularity. We have been working hard on improving technology," he said, as per the official statement issued on X, formerly known as Twitter. "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. The nation will receive the benefit."

The president also highlighted how he used technology to boost Lagos State's revenue during his time as governor, and emphasized the importance of gathering and using important data to establish a better tax system, making it more effective for the state.

He recalled starting his tenure with only N600 million but when he stepped down from his position, it reached N8 billion. "And right now, they are targeting a trillion naira with the use of technology in the state. There is no other shortcut. We must invest in technology. We must focus, be diligent, and work hard," he added.

Tinubu served as Lagos State governor from 1999 to 2007. He became president of Nigeria last year on May 29.

During the meeting, Gates also shared the importance of technology, highlighting a one-identity technological platform that is capable of integrating diverse data into a single identity system, emphasizing the importance of harmonizing data for effective planning, security and tax efficiency.

"We are working with Mr. Wale Edun, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, on digitization. Before you came into office, there were a few things attempted in identity management. But they have been very scattered. There have been multiple identification systems," as per Gates.

Tinubu began his foreign visit from the Netherlands last week and reached Saudi Arabia on Sunday for a two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) event, held on April 28 and April 29.