By Emeka Aginam

The controversy that trailed the appointment and ratification of the new Registrar and Secretary to the Council of the Computer Professionals (Registration Council of) Nigeria, CPN, Mr. Allwell Achumba by the Council of CPN which initially did not go down well with some members of the Nigerian IT professionals was at the weekend resolved following immediate intervention by the Federal government and the College of Fellows.

Prof. Aderounmu                                        Prof. Asor

After the intervention of the Federal Government, the Council agreed that Mr. Allwell Achumba should remain as the Registrar for a contract of two years.

Recall that after the final interview for the position of Registrar, Mr. Achumba, a Fellow of the Nigeria Computer Society, NCS, was considered over nineteen others as the choice candidate but was given a contract appointment since he is over fifty years of age.

In the process of the appointment, during the Council meeting, Six Council members, it was gathered, voted against Mr. Achumba’s consideration for the contract while eight Council members voted in his favor for the contract which is subject to the support from the Ministry of education.

Some IT professionals, according to Hi-Tech investigations have picked holes in the appointment of Mr. Achumba, saying that he is over fifty years old coupled with a late discovery of some inconsistencies in a form he had filled some sixteen years ago while joining the profession.

As a result of the controversy that had greeted the new appointment, the President of the Nigerian Computer Society, NCS, Prof. Ganiyu Adesola Aderounmu, Vanguard gathered, had earlier ordered for the recall of NCS representatives in the CPN Council.

While the new appointment was causing division among members of the Nigerian IT profession, the President/ Chairman of Council, Prof. Vincent Asor had earlier written a letter to the Education Minister requesting for intervention and counsel for which he claimed to have gotten approval as at press time.

But after College of Fellows had met at weekend, the issues surrounding the appointment was finally resolved.

Further investigations revealed that it was agreed at the meeting that the NCS President should return NCS representatives back to the CPN Council.

The elders in the house and the Council members, it was gathered, have listened to the Secretary to the Federal Government, Engr BD Lawal, who has appealed for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

The SFG had asked the elders in the IT profession to find an amicable resolution. “Please let us learn from the fact that even the government had to backtrack on the same matter when our mistake was pointed out to us”, he said

At the meeting, Vanguard learnt that after the intervention of the Federal Government, the Council agreed that Mr. Allwell Achumba should remain as the Registrar for a contract of two years.

Commenting on the new development, the NCS President, Prof. Aderounmu had told Vanguard that there was no leadership crisis in CPN.

“There was communication gap and I am sure that the President and Chairman of CPN will resolve that. The environment is good and I have informed members of NCS in CPN Council to return and perform their normal duties any time Council meeting is called”, Aderounmu said.

It would be recalled that CPN had initially picked holes in the recent appointment of Afolabi Aderinto as the new head of CPN.
Technically, Aderinto did not meet up with the criteria to head CPN as the Act clearly stated that the CPN Council must appoint a Registrar who must have 10 years post call to the profession, indicating that the Registrar of CPN must be a registered financial member of CPN and appointed by council members.

Meanwhile, Mr. Idowu Olusile, has since 2015 been acting as the Registrar/Secretary to the Council after the leadership of Mr. Sikiru Shehu.