By Prince Osuagwu

…says it will unlock youth IT potentials
Director – General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Professor Cleopas Angaye, has commended the various e-learning initiatives of government and the private sector across the country, saying that among other things, they will provide the breeding ground for the eventual increase in Information Technology potentials of Nigerian youths.

However, he said that more also needed to be done to arrest the mass of bright youths who sprout out every day in the country.

Angaye spoke in Lagos last week at the commissioning of Omatek’s e-learning and 24 hours alternative power solution for schools in some states.

Students being shown how to use laptop computers during a demonstration exercise

The NITDA DG who also inspected Omatek’s new production factory and new product innovations said that Nigerian made computers have an edge over their foreign counterparts in that the local brands are made to attune to the Nigerian environment.

For him, the deployment of e-learning suite on all the completed Rural Information Technology Centres in over 300 rural communities across Nigeria as well as some institutions of learning by NITDA and other e-learning centres by private companies such as Omatek will make a difference in education in the country.

He said the e-learning centres are geared towards equipping Nigerian students and those in under-served areas with tools of making online studying materials for their use through the centres.

According to him e-learning concept which began in the early days of IT revolution has gained popularity around the world with many classrooms now being used in e-learning and this has evolved to the level that it can accommodate different learning styles and facilitate learning through variety of activities.

“It also assists to develop knowledge of the Internet and computer skills that will help learners throughout their lives and careers”, Angaye noted, adding that successful completion of online or computer based courses builds self-knowledge and self-confidence and encourages students to take responsibility for their learning”.

He noted that though the level of compliance with government directives to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to patronize local PCs has not been carried out satisfactorily, NITDA was working on the standardization requirement of the government order to ensure that what the MDAs buy are inter-operatable.

“We have not concluded our survey on local OEMs. There are issues of inter operatability. There are software issues and there have to be standards. We do not want our MDAs to go to various places to import components that do not inter-operate”, he said.

He said however that NITDA has taking the lead in the patronage of local PCs as all the PCs in its RITCs are from Nigeria manufacturers.

He revealed that the government was ready to patronize and collaborate to help private companies to grow, adding that, “Whatever initiative Omatek is involved in we will support; we are ready to work with other OEMs and start-ups as government want to transform the economy”.

He said the local OEMs are doing enough to promote the goals of the IT industry, noting that comparatively the quality of Omatek is good and should be patronized.