By EMEKA AGINAM

While request for the urgent recomposition of the conference delegates to include adequate representation from the Nigeria Computer Society, the umbrella body of the Nigerian IT professionals has said that it would engage the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC on successful e-voting.

The IT professional body said that the request is made in the interest of adding value and quality to the process, adding that it was a necessity not a luxury for the desired IT-enabled national transformation.

It would be recalled that the NCS under the leadership of Professor Uwadia had earlier visited INEC on how best to deploy IT in the 2010 elections where a Memorandum of Understanding should be executed to serve as basis for further relationship.

Under the MOu , it was agreed that IT solutions should be indigenous so as to have local content which the professionals have been clamoring for years back.

The President of NCS , Prof. David Adewumi who disclosed this to IT Journalists last week in Lagos to unfold activities ahead of its national conference slated for July this year in Enugu State , noted that there was need for INEC to collaborate with IT professionals in the 2015 general elections.

INEC to be guided in deploying IT

The essence of NCS engagement with INEC he said was to ensure that INEC was well guided in deploying IT to the electoral process so that ultimate results of future elections in Nigeria were seen to be accurate and truly reflect the wishes of the electorates.

According to him, NCS will be engaging the regulatory authority on how best to achieve a successful and transparent e-voting system in the 2015 elections.

We will be talking to INEC as advocacy group. It is time the government engages the IT professionals’ scheme of things. All personnel carrying out core IT professional duties in the government agencies must be registered professionals as stipulated in Act 49 of 1993” he noted.

Be transparent

While requesting INEC to be transparent and fully unfold its strategies for deploying IT for the entire electoral process so that professionals could offer advice where necessary, he said that there was need to engage IT professionals so as to achieve digital economy in the 21st century

The essence of this engagement is to ensure that INEC is well guided in deploying IT to the electoral process so that ultimate results of future elections in Nigeria are seen to be accurate and truly reflect the wishes of the electorates.

“Stronger stakeholder partnerships with NCS will build an inclusive, globally competitive and prosperous Nigeria that will be the envy of other African nation” he said.

National dialogue

He said that the nation was  not fully harnessing the growth opportunity of the IT sector industry, academia, profession, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.

Policies and legislation

“Appropriate recognition, policies and legislation still needs to be put in place. There is a glaring need to incorporate and prioritize the role of the IT sector if Nigeria is to be a key player and fulfil its promise in the 21st century.

“Nigerian Information Technology Professionals, through its national umbrella body, Nigeria Computer Society, are very uncomfortable with their lack of representation in the composition of the National Conference.

“ How can we be part of a 21st century that is building a digital economy without inputs from the Information Technology industry and profession?

Recomposition of the conference delegates

“We therefore request for the urgent recomposition of the conference delegates to include adequate representation from the Nigeria Computer Society.