ByEmeka Aginam
RECENTLY at the Nigerian Computer Society-organised  National Information Technology Merit Awards and Nigeria at 50: Impact of IT on National Development, majority of Nigerian IT Professionals who spoke to CyberLIFE on the position of ATCON on NITDA noted that NITDA is currently moving in the right direction.

While the President of Information Technology Association of Nigeria, (ITAN) Dr Jimson Olufuye in his  remarks during the event told the audience that more was  expected from the leadership of  NITDA, a former President of Computer Registration Council of Nigeria, (CPN) Mr Orjinta Orji-Alala without mincing words noted that the argument of ATCON on NITDA’s performance  is baseless.

Professor Cleopas Angaye, D-G, NITDA

“The agency just got funding from government. It is not good enough for anybody to start assessing the agency now. We should give the agency more time. This is not the best of times to assess NITDA .

“A committee to develop a blueprint that will make  Nigeria a competitive nation in the area of soft ware development has just  been set up by NITDA). The committee was to come up with a policy which would provide a blue print to make Nigeria a competitive country in the area of software development. This and other initiatives by NITDA should be lauded. I do not think that ATCON is in a better position to assess NITDA,” Orji-Alala noted.

Similarly, the position of  Ladi Ogunneye, former President of Nigerian Computer Society was not too far from what others said. According to him, NITDA is taking the right steps.  “NITDA  has done tremendously well in the area of capacity building. Just last week, the agency inaugurated national software policy to energize software production in the country. I am aware that they have offered scholarships to Nigerian graduates to do masters program anywhere in the world.”

In his own presentation at the event, the man at the centre of the storm and NITDA’s Director-General, Professor Cleopas Angaye did not let others just defend him against accusations and criticisms of his agency by ATCON, which said he should take responsibility for the nation’s drop in ITU rankings instead of blaming it on lack of political will. Angaye, reacting to the ATCON statement signed by its president, Titi Omo-Ettu declared that his agency has done well.

His words: “In a recent media forum I pointed out that IT development in African nations (not Nigeria in particular) was being hampered by lack of “adequate political will  to fully support and embrace new technologies”. I am still at a loss why stating such an obvious fact should generate so much acrimony.

“Let me ask: How many African countries have the political will to introduce electronic voting as one means to ensure credible elections?

“How many countries have enacted laws to protect intellectual property as it relates to software? How many financial systems recognize knowledge encoded in a Compact Disc as sufficient collateral for a bank loan? It is within that context that I called (and still call) for more political will to embrace new world trends.

“Coming home to Nigeria, the Federal Government may have set the tone with many commendable IT initiatives, but many state governments (except a few) and local governments have lacked the will to follow the examples. So the benefits of IT have not sufficiently trickled down to the grassroots. That is partly why NITDA introduced the Rural Information Technology Centers (RITC) at the state and local government levels. The aim is to help bridge the internal digital divide in the country.

“I have also received flak for the one step slip in ITU ranking of Nigeria in e-readiness. We were ranked 63 in 2007 and 64 in 2008. I do not know the FIFA ranking of our national football team today, but I know we were number 1 in Africa and number 5 in the world some years back. I do not think we should throw tantrums over ITU rankings. We should be patient with the current efforts of government to reform the power sector. We all know that electricity and information technology are inseparable. In other words, if our ‘ranking’ in power slips, so will our e-readiness.

“For me, it is a mark of responsible leadership to be honest. I owe a duty to stakeholders to speak forthrightly on issues and challenges we face in IT. The solutions will require our collective ‘political will’ at all levels and tiers of governance,” Prof Angaye noted.

According to him, the agency has been doing well in the  area of capacity building. Just last week, according to Angaye, “NITDA has launched national software policy that is expected to energize  software production in the country.

Nigeria will be a hub in software development We have offered scholarship to 37 Nigerian graduates for masters programme straight to Ph.D anywhere in the world. Last year, we trained not less than 6,100 unemployed graduates on IT. Before now, we have been making contributions to the country through IT development. We will continue to do more,” he said.