State govts’ indifference to ICT worries stakeholders: The development of the Information and Communications Technology sector is critical to Nigeria’s advancement. Stakeholders say state governments have a huge role to play, STANLEY OPARA reports With just a few states currently investing in the development of ICT in their domains, the gap between states has continued to widen in terms of development. Over time, it has become very obvious that some state governments are far behind their peers. The use and application of technology in governance is one thing that must be given a preference if any government must move forward and become competitive in the global space. Inasmuch as the Federal Government is trying to develop models that will see to the advancement of ICT in the country, state governments are expected to complement those efforts by ensuring that the ideas are sustained at the state level. Aside from complementing the initiatives of the Federal Governments, states are expected to come up with their own ICT programmes, which are all targeted at bridging the digital divide between Nigeria and the rest of the world. This issue partly dominated deliberations at the second meeting of the National Council on Communication Technology organised by the Ministry of Communications Technology in Akure, Ondo State last week. The council meeting, according to the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who hosted the forum, was being held against the backdrop of breath-taking speed and changes in the ICT world. Mimiko said the unprecedented convergence of computer networks and other communication systems was a phenomenon that had revolutionised life on the planet. “From the common desktop computers to the ubiquitous smartphones, tablets and most recently ‘phablets,’ it is crystal clear that ICT has become very much the core of modern civilisation,” he added. Leveraging the immense possibilities inherent in the unfolding ICT revolution for the improvement of living standards and development, he noted, was a key challenge confronting developing economies such as Nigeria. “This is a challenge that all stakeholders must address themselves. The council should help to articulate a realistic and sustainable agenda for Nigeria’s socio-economic growth through the development of ICT. “The 21st Century has been aptly described as the Information Age and Nigeria cannot afford to be sidelined in the myriad of innovations and creativity that are the hallmarks of globalisation,” the governor emphasised. He solicited strategic partnership between the government and the private sector in order to ensure that Nigeria transits from being a consumer nation to a highly productive one as far as ICT software and tools are concerned. According to him, Nigeria has vast potential, which can be explored and harnessed for the sustainable development of ICT infrastructure for e-governance, health care systems, and food security, among others. “But without effective linkages by all players in the spectrum, this lofty goal will remain a mirage. I am confident that with continued cooperation and synergy by all stakeholders, Nigeria’s future in ICT development is assured,” he stressed. For Ondo State, he said development of ICT was a major pre-occupation, as right from inception, the government had embraced the idea of ICT roll-out in all its governmental processes. He added, “We remain convinced that through effective utilisation of ICT tools, we can bridge, not only the digital divide between the government and the governed, but also keep pace with modern trends in public service delivery.” A major push in this regard is the introduction of the Ondo State Residency Card project (otherwise known as Kaadi Igbe Ayo), which was envisioned as a veritable platform for multi-purpose welfare services management for all citizens and residents in the state. The project is facilitating the systematic development of database for efficient security and surveillance purposes. In the drive towards the realisation of the country’s collective objectives in ICT development, the governor said it was very pertinent that the Ministry of Communications Technology focused on policy enunciation, setting standards and ensuring compliance by stakeholders and practitioners. He, therefore, advised the ministry to see beyond direct implementation of policies. The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, said despite the successes seen in the ICT sector, there were still tremendous opportunities for growth, job and wealth creation. But she noted that it was the mandate of the ministry and state institutions and organs responsible for ICT to tap into the opportunities. According to Johnson, synergy among national and sub-national institutions is of critical importance if the current gains are to be sustained. She added that the National Council on Communication Technology had been established to facilitate inter-governmental consultations on ICT matters in order to avoid unnecessary disparities in ICT policies in Nigeria. The minister maintained that the efforts being made by the Federal Government would not yield optimum results without an active participation of the states and local governments, hence, the need to address the issue of the role of the states in many of the initiatives put in place at the federal level. Johnson said, “Common areas of interest include the implementation of the National Broadband plan, National Policy on ICT, digital and financial inclusion, local content framework, use of frequency spectrum, National Strategic e-Government framework and collection of data on ICT sector. “There is no doubt that the states and local governments are in good position to contribute their quota in this respect. State governments have more complete knowledge of their localities and can work closely with service providers in their respective states to identify where and what kinds of services should be made available.” The minister also said states were in a better position to obtain the most accurate data possible on the use of broadband and to continuously update and refresh the data provided by service providers to make it more accurate over time. She added that states could also implement independent verification programmes to confirm service availability and actual experienced upload and download speeds. Johnson said state governments like Akwa Ibom, Edo, Ekiti, Osun and Ondo were already taking important steps in leveraging ICT for social economic development, adding that the states had put in place projects and programmes that were driven by ICT with a lot of impact on the lives of the people. To ensure the sustainability of these initiatives and ensure that they transcend administrations, the minister suggested that states that do not have them should establish dedicated institutional frameworks for coordinating ICT matters, which could include the creation of ICT ministries or ICT development agencies in such states. “The Federal Ministry of Communications Technology stands ready to support you as you develop these frameworks and machinery for coordinating ICT development in the states through any of our agencies,” the minister said.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 05:16:51 +0000
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