“By 2020 any Institution that fails to adopt ICT would be completely obsolete.” – DG, NITDA
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has vowed to sanction any public institution that engages in any Information Technology (IT) project without clearance from the agency.
The Director-General of NITDA, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami gave this warning at the Lunchtime Reform Seminar on ‘The Need for Engagement of Public Institutions in the Implementation of Information Technology (IT) Regulatory Instruments in Nigeria’ held in Abuja.
The DG stated that Section 6 (a,b) of the NITDA Act makes him the ‘chief Information technology officer of the Federation, hence the agency was determined to ensure a uniformity of ICT policies by all government agencies.
“Technology has proven to be the key driver of institutional reforms globally, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), has the power to transform Public Service; we cannot improve the Federal Public Service Institution in Nigeria without the integration of ICT,” he stated.
“By 2020 any Institution that fails to adopt ICT in its day to day operation would not be relevant, it would be completely obsolete.”
Dr. Pantami said the wisdom behind IT project clearance was to ensure that IT projects in Nigeria do not fail.
He revealed that in the past, most ICT projects embarked upon by government agencies failed because of poor project conceptualization.
The DG re-stated his determination to block any avenue for corrupt practices in ICT procurement and project implementation.
“They (ICT projects) are not executed in silos, there is value for money, there is a clear sustainability plan and ICT is not used as a conduit pipe for syphoning public funds.”
“This is because we realise that ICT is a key driver of the economy and also the Public Service in Nigeria,” he added.