History has taught us that power is transient. It is here today and gone tomorrow, especially in a democratic setting where the pendulum can swing to any side at any point in time.
I state this against the backdrop that the National Information Technology Development Agency recently got a new director general in the person of Dr. Isa Ibrahim, who until his appointment was an associate professor of Computer Information Systems at the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
Somehow, I got wind of his appointment before it became public and I remember spending some time researching him, just to get more information about him and I noticed that aside from his academic exploits, he is a religious scholar with a huge following. This is not consequential if you ask me because the Nigerian Constitution guarantees everyone the right and freedom to express their religious view.
Moving forward, the 2016 edition of GITEX Technology Week, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, gave me an opportunity to hear him speak and meet him in person.
First, listening to his speech at the Africa Investment Forum, a break out session designed to showcase the best of African technologies, particularly those of Nigeria, he made it clear that his focus would be to see how Nigerian software solutions could be exported so that we could earn foreign exchange.
Then, I had a private conversation with him and it was pretty engaging. The new Director-General of the NITDA came across as someone who really wants to build on the successes of his predecessors, particularly those of Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the Director, Corporate Strategy and Research, who held forth as acting director general before the substantive director general was appointed.
I assured him of my support as long as he uses his good office to benefit the industry. This industry is, indeed, in need of a virile and active regulator that will follow through with policies needed to propel Nigeria to the next level technologically.
In addition to the goals that the new DG hopes to pursue, I will like him to add local content and digital jobs, which in my view, will further boost the tech sector.
Local Content
The erstwhile Minister of Communications Technology, (as it was called then), Mrs. Omobola Johnson, whose tenure saw the Nigerian ICT space record numerous successes, did publish a set of guidelines, known as the Nigerian Content Development in the Information and Communications Technology.
The organisation charged with enforcement is the NITDA, in collaboration with other relevant authorities in the public and — Finish Reading on the Punch Website
