The federal government has assured Nigerians of the continued support of Galaxy Backbone for private and public institutions, especially during this period of COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging the world.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, signed by the spokesperson to the minister, Mrs. Uwa Suleiman, noted that: “At this critical stage of efforts to limit the spread of the COVID -19 in the country, the federal government is applying measures to safeguard its personnel, by using telepresence facilities deployed by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, through the Galaxy Backbone Limited, a parastatal under the ministry.”
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, had earlier directed Galaxy Backbone to utilise its government-wide telepresence and collaboration facilities, to ensure government functions continue while maintaining social distancing.
The statement said Galaxy Backbone had complied by positioning their telepresence and collaboration facilities to ensure productivity, enhance security and reduce the cost of communication during this period.
It added that video conferencing terminals have been installed at over 120 federal government institutions, including the offices of the Vice President; 26 Honourable Ministers; 17 Ministers of State; Chief of Staff to the President; Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Head of Civil Service of the Federation; 37 Federal Permanent Secretaries; Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); and other key Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government.
According to Pantami, “Calls and conferences are secured with end to end encryption within Galaxy Backbone operated government network. Galaxy Backbone also has the capacity to provide both public and private sector organisations, secure and reliable telepresence services from its state-of-the-art Unified Communication Services (UCS) platform.
“In this regard, Nigerians are rest assured that the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy will continue to use technology to ensure that there are no interruptions in crucial government meetings. Virtual meetings will go ahead with all relevant stakeholders in a secure and reliable manner as we collectively tackle this challenge to humanity.”