The Nigeria Computer Society NCS, last week held its National Information Technology Merits awards, NITMA 2010 in Lagos with various IT stakeholders and speakers at the event giving a scorecard of their ratings so far on the development of IT and the IT industry in the country. At the event tagged Nigeria at 50: Impact of Information technology on National development chaired by Mr. Orjiuta Orji-Alla, former president of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria CPN saw experts from various fields of IT mount the podium to give verdicts on the sector .
According to Mr Ibrahim Tizhe, current president of CPN said the forum should be used to tell themselves (stakeholders) and government the truth.
He said that already International agencies and organisations all around the world are facing increased pressure to perform in order to maintain operational excellence and improve financial performance. “With each technological advance comes not only the enormous responsibility for organisations to grow and succeed but the need to understand this new technology and above all the ability to use this new technology efficiently.
It is therefore not good to be told at a gathering of this nature that information technology has become a weapon in order to perform in the world’s global market, prompting political accountability”
Mr Tizhe said there is a ‘digital divide’ between Nigeria and the world’s best developed nations but which he insists can no longer be justified. He said “Indeed all of us here cannot justify it as Nigeria has all it takes to close the gap of the so called divide. Is it in terms of human resources? Nigerians have been adjudged in different parts of the world as professionals and experts in IT.”
Mr Tizhe said there should be a swift change in the country’s orientation which should now be focused on alternative technology. In his words “It is not because there is trouble in the oil and gas sector but because we are trying to look at the future without oil and gas.
We have the material resources and therefore it is difficult to justify this digital divide. We therefore must ask ourselves what impact has IT made on this country so far. To answer it, we must discuss frankly. We must tell our selves the truth and be bold to tell government the truth as all of us are stakeholders here. If Nigeria at the age of fifty is to survive the twenty first century where emphasis is being shifted from oil and gas to alternative sources of energy, we must live and move into the knowledge economy.”
Mr Tizhe highlighted a number of issues that may have dragged on the economy especially as it concerns IT. It had centered more on the activities of the CPN.
He noted that it was mandatory for all persons and organisations seeking to engage or be engaged in the sale and use of computing facility and the provision of professional services in computing related areas in Nigeria to be registered by the council before they could carry out such activity. He said it was illegal to engage in computing and professional activities without satisfying the above conditions.
He however noted “I must point out here that the highest users of unregistered companies in the country are government agencies and unless this is stopped enforcement will continue to be a challenge.” He admitted that the NCS and the executives of CPN have not taken all the advantages given it under the law to execute and pursue its mandate.
The Presidency had taken a bold step earlier in September by setting up a committee to harmonise and draw up a roadmap to the governing of IT in Nigeria. A major recommendation had been for the harmonisation of all IT agencies in the country.
Tizhe said. “Major stakeholders were involved and high-reaching decisions had been made, documented and reported back but that nothing has been heard of it till today is a matter of great concern not only to those of us who were represented but to the whole IT economy in the country.”
He continued: “But unconfirmed sources have it that some of those in power are not favourable to the recommendations for fear of losing grip on some of the parastatals. Again, we must be bold to point out that the nation’s interest should not be sacrificed at the stead of self interest. Personal interest should not becloud our interest from the future of Nigerians.”
When Mr Chris Uwaje, another discussant at the awards spoke up, the verdict took another turn. He said “there is politics in technology,” and explained that there was a big divide between technology manufacturers and consumers. Uwaje who is President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) said:
“These people will continue to sell obsolete technology to us because they want us to remain consumers. If we are to map a way forward we must become actively involved in ruling bodies in this country. Our lax attitude continues to remain our problem,” adding that “Vision 2020 goes no where without IT.”
However, according to the president of Information Technology Association of Nigeria, Dr. Jimson Olufuye in his presentation at the event, there is hope. He said “ICT has modestly impacted the Nigerian economy particularly in the telecoms, financial and in the oil and gas sector. With about 2% contribution to the national GDP mainly through the telecom sector.” He said ICT has a great potential to fast track the realisation of vision 20 2020.
According to his statistics, IT in the country has a current GDP of US$350b with Nigeria now leading the pack in Africa as the continent’s most populous nation of IT users. Nigeria has shot ahead of Egypt which had held this position for years and Morroco which still maintains third place.
According to him, the future is very bright, but then would the nation and its leaders be proactive, docile or reactive? He said the answer would depend on how the nation puts her house in order. He said from the current trend, the journey towards a digitized world was gaining good speed. Noting that Africa lost out of the agricultural and Industrial revolutions, he put a question forward… would it lose out again in the digital revolution?
National award recipients of the night had been: Professors senator Iya Abubakar, Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe and Olayide Abass, others were Chief Donatus Obot, chief Leo Stan Ekeh and Mrs Florence Seriki. Fellowship awards went to (Messrs.) Arinze Okey Joe, Ibrahim Alabi Is-haq, Momodu Donaldson Shaka, Omotunde-Young Kolawole Wasiu and Sanusi Abudu Kadri.
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