Minister of Communications Technology,  Mrs. Omobola Johnson has joined the call for international agreement and collaboration among stakeholders in internet governance.

Johnson spoke at a one day Nigerian Internet Governance (NIGF-2012) with the theme: Consolidating Nigeria’s Position on the Global Internet Governance Forum 2012.

She said increasing availability of the internet and the rapid rate at which it is being adopted have been accompanied by louder calls for international agreement on why and how it should be managed and governed.

Underscoring the need for a common action on internet management, Johnson said that the internet has increasingly informed the way people live, work, learn, profit, govern and communicate.

“What started out as a predominantly academic network is becoming the lifeblood of finance, commerce, and social relationships,’’ she said.

She decried the growth rate of internet usage in the world and Africa in particularly in Africa, which she put at 33.3 percent and 13.5 percent respectively, which for her is unacceptable.

Quoting a resolution from the first phase of the world summit on the Information Society which birthed the Internet Governance Forum, the minister said that global management of internet should be multi-lateral, transparent and democratic, with full involvement of governments, private sector, civil society and international organizations.

“It should ensure equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure functioning of the internet, taking into account multilingualism,” she added.

She charged discussants at the forum to  identify and articulate the areas that needed to be addressed as a national level to help ensure that Nigeria attains these goals.

Former President of ITAN, DR. Jimson Olufuye said there is need for Nigerians to prepare and  plan ahead on issue of internet governance.

“In a global phere, there is sectoral fear. Nigeria needs tostrengthen the group put together in order to achieve the desired objective. There should be African position in the cairo event  coming soon in regards to how internet usage is governed. We need to raise awareness among the youth and information sector. We also need to get our policies right to improve on our present status,” he added.

On his part, former president of ATCON, DR. Emmanuel Ekuwem said that internet is not celebrated in Nigeria, as Nigerians are yet to embrace the internet exchange point.

“We need to filter it and nobody should be restricted, even though bad guys are on it. We have to look at the opportunities and access it because soon, internet will become democracy.”

In his presentation, Nigeria’s youth IT ambassador and President of Paradigm Shift,  Mr. Gbenga Sesan said that with the aid of internet, press freedom and the space for free expression have increased significantly since 1999, with more pronounced usage during the 2011 April general elections.

However, he noted that legal and political environment for traditional media remain harsh.

He said that though, the online media has been comparatively free from restrictions, Nigerian authorities do not carry out any filtering of content and that while access to information technology is still limited for many Nigerians, the number of internet users nearly quadrupled between 2008 and 2011.