By 
By Nwakaego Alajemba
Majority of people who applied for online permits are farmers, an infographic by the Plateau State Information Communication Technology Agency (PICTDA) has revealed.
According to the data captured on the first day that the Plateau State Digital Permits Platform went live, farmers desirous of visiting their farms constituted about 34.6% of those that applied for the online permits.
Plateau State had recently piloted an online platform where residents within Jos North, Jos East and Jos South could digitally access passes or movement permits online via their mobile phones.
To apply, simply login to www.plateaupermit.org and make your application.
The platform officially opened this week with more than 200 people applying for permits to visit pharmacies, ATMs or their farms among others. Of the total figure, 64 requests, about 34.6% were for farm visits.
The PICTDA infographic underscores the anxiety amongst Nigerian farming community and fears of bleak harvest, blistering economies worldwide as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has warned of possible famine as COVID-19 is forcing farmers away from their farms despite the raining season.
In the last seven weeks, like many other states, Plateau State has applied series of measures including lockdown, movement restrictions for persons and goods.
The Digital Permits Platform is consolidating on Governor Simon Bako Lalong’s use of technology in the fight against COVID-19.
“In pursuit of Governor Lalong’s agenda for safety and welfare of the people, the situation room thought it wise to ensure that people with emergencies and special needs that require movement within this local governments are able to apply for a temporary pass or permits to be presented at checkpoints,” said Director General of PICTDA, Mr. David Daser.
“While this might confer this privilege to only people with smart phones and access to internet connection, we would be looking at upgrading the system and gradually employing USSD in the future. The goal is to solve a problem relating to this lockdown,” added Daser.
Many in the state believe the initiative offers the government a realistic data-guide to understanding residents most affected by the lockdown as well as a profound window allowing citizens to engage government without the usual cumbersome processes associated with physical applications.
In addition, the window offers insights into the most pressing economic needs of the citizens in a way that challenges government to appropriately allocate resources where most required.
Plateau state has reported 95 cases of COVID-19, 27 recovered cases and two deaths.
The government has continuously improved efforts to curtail the spread of the disease through a mix of strategies including the deployment of CCTVs and other IT tools to monitor all borders and enforce the restriction on persons and goods.
Nigeria’s has 8,344 confirmed cases of COVID 19 as at today. There are 2,385 recovered cases and 249 deaths. Worldwide, there are 5.59 million confirmed cases, 2.29 million recovered cases and 350, 000 deaths.
Since kick-starting its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Plateau State has carried out fumigation and disinfection of public places and continuously raised awareness level on the dangers of COVID-19.
The Plateau State Digital Permits Platform is managed by the Plateau State Covid-19 Task Force which is chaired Governor Simon Lalong. The platform is running with the support of Nigerian media-tech entrepreneur and CEO of uLesson, Mr. Sim Shagaya.
