The Governing Board of
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said it would reposition the agency to have more impact on human and economic development through applications of Information Technology (IT).
The Chairman, NITDA’s Governing Board, Dr Tosin Ajayi, disclosed this at a news conference held in Abuja.
He said that the board was planning to raise the performance of NITDA to an excellent position whereby it could influence human development and work performance.
Ajayi described information technology as the greatest tool for human development, noting that no human population could develop without it.
He said that the governing board had come to the conclusion that NITDA was the only agency that could cause the transformation of the country.
He said that the board was determined to reset NITDA for corporate performance of its functions as an institution that controls the development of IT in Nigeria.
“The goal of the present governing board is to set up parameters that will lead to the creation of information and knowledge-based nation in Nigeria.
“We want to turn NITDA from project to population programmes that address the youth, women and children.
“We also want to reset NITDA from projects to sectorial programmes by introducing IT to education, healthcare, banking and finance, energy including oil and gas, entertainment, security and governance. ’’
Ajayi said that the governing board had resolved to start with some selected sector, adding that it could not commence with all the sectors at the same time.
“If these sectors do not get IT input from Nigeria and abroad, they will not be able to serve us.
“It is only when we introduce IT properly, monitor and regulate them that we can expect result from the sectors,’’ he said.
Ajayi said that the board would achieve these through necessary capacity and capabilities building of NITDA’s human and materials resources, training and retraining as well as reorientation.
“We are going to put emphasis on our IT infrastructure such as, Internet, phones, satellites and Ciber connections to ensure their development. ’’
He expressed the hope that the board would reduce poverty and corruption in the country through the application of information technology.
Ajayi stressed the need to see the development of NITDA beyond politics, saying “the development of the agency is the future of the country’’.
The governing board chairman also stressed the need to engage information technology in solving insecurity challenges facing the country.
“There is no way we can improve our security in Nigeria today without IT, it is not even possible. If you have not put IT into it, forget it.
“We are looking at what we can do to improve all these areas, because we are not having good efficiency and how we can improve them,’’ he said.