Business
Institute Seeks Law On Local Software Patronage
The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) last Thursday called for a law that would aid patronage of local software products in the country.
The President of ISPON, Mr James Emadoye made the call in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
According to him, the law will serve as a panacea to the problem of unemployment and aid accelerated economic development in the country.
He said that with the law, inconsistencies in government policies would be addressed, adding that ICT Development Index (IDI) was a good indicator for determining the relationship of ICT to economic development.
“Korea Republic is on the top of IDI and has maintained that lead for over five years.
“This is because the leadership of that country declared the 21st century as the IT era and concentrates its resources on indigenous development of software for its economy and Nigeria is rated number 137 on the IDI.
“The government directives through the Executive Order No. 003 that software consumed in the country should be locally made will go a long way in making the needed impact for the industry and for the economy.
“ISPON is into software production and we need a conducive environment for the industry to move forward and this can come through a proper declaration by government making software and other components of IT a major strategy for economic development.
“Out of 20 richest and most generous billionaires in the world, seven are in Information Technology, particularly software.
“Software is a prerequisite for modern life and a means to leapfrog development process with no need for big capital investment,” he said.
Emadoye said that patronage was also key to the industries achieving their goals as most players of the sector including government were still enslaved to foreign products.
“Government use billions of dollars to import software that we have available locally and have the capacity of developing in cases where they are not already available.
“Being a member of the global village does not preclude you from having special attraction to your home grown products.
“My office is in Ilupeju, where we have a large population of Indians. A look at their homes shows that most of them use generators and other home products from Indians,” he said.
He therefore urged Nigerians and the government to emulate the Indians by patronising locally manufactured software.
Emadoye called on the government to invest in human capital development, adding that to achieve that the school’s curriculum should be modified and improved to meet with current reality of modern day technology.
He said that professional bodies should be involved in the curriculum drafting and review as they were the real operators in the industry “and are more in tuned with human capital needs of the industry’’.
The ISPON president added that the current school fees payment in public universities which was abysmally low was not making enough funding available for the institutions to develop programmes in ICT.
He said that in view of this, the institutions were forced to wait for budgetary allocation from the Federal Government before they could equip their laboratories and upgrade their learning equipment.
“To improve software development, we need to improve the educational system and since public universities are major schools that churn out programmers, there is need to pay more attention to them,” he said.
The ISPON president said that the Federal Government would have to restrategise to be able reposition the universities to affect the lives of the students more positively.
In a concerted effort to tackle racketeering and reduce inflated transportation costs in the Nigeria’s seaports, Trucks Transit Parks Ltd. (TTP) has trained Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders on the use of its Ètò electronic call-up system.
The training was held recently at Customs Processing Centre (CPC) Auditorium, Apapa, Lagos, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and supported by the leadership of the Joint Association of Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders (JALCAFF), Apapa Command.
Speaking at the event, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu expressed appreciation to TTP for facilitating the training and emphasized the need for customs agents to take personal ownership of the Ètò booking process.
“I want to thank TTP for this impactful training. I encourage all customs agents to begin doing their own bookings directly. By doing so, they can take back power from the unscrupulous elements exploiting their lack of knowledge, selling tickets at highly inflated prices,” Olomu declared.
He noted that empowering agents with hands-on training was key to dismantling racketeering networks that have plagued access to the ports and frustrated efficient logistics processes.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Apapa Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Emeka Chukwumalu, said the engagement was critical to the ongoing push to reduce cargo transportation costs and ease business operations at the Apapa Port.
According to a freight forwarder, “The training is basically for us to have awareness of the operations of the Ètò call-up system through TTP. We also want to brainstorm on ways to reduce the high cost of cargo transportation in Apapa Port.
“This training opened our eyes to how simple it is to book tickets ourselves. We now know the right steps to follow and how to avoid falling victim to fraudsters.”
Earlier, Head of Operations at TTP, Mr. Irabor Akonoman, talked on common misconceptions about ticket pricing, reaffirming that the cost of Ètò bookings had remained consistent since its inception.
“The official price remains the same since inception. What people are paying higher amounts for is the manipulation by racketeers”.
Towards strengthening small businesses and promoting a more supportive regulatory environment, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says it will hold the 2025 edition of its flagship MSMEs Fair on Tuesday (May 6, 2025).
The event, themed, “Galvanising MSMEs for Economic Growth and Stability”, will take place at NECA House in Lagos.
According to NECA’s Director-General, Mr Adewale Smatt Oyerinde, the fair seeks to provide micro, small, and medium enterprises with essential tools, resources, and strategic networks to thrive in Nigeria’s challenging business climate.
He emphasised the vital role MSMEs play in national development, describing them as the “lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy.”
Oyerinde noted that the fair is designed to offer entrepreneurs practical solutions to navigate economic uncertainties, regulatory hurdles, and business scalability issues.
A major attraction of this year’s event is the keynote address by the CEO of FATE Foundation, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, a prominent advocate for MSME development.
She is expected to share transformative insights on innovative strategies for sustaining and growing small businesses in Nigeria.
A unique feature of the fair will be interactive sessions with key regulatory bodies. Entrepreneurs will engage directly with agencies responsible for licensing, compliance, taxation, and business registration.
NECA said these sessions aim to demystify bureaucratic processes and foster a more enabling business environment.
It also said the fair will provide a platform for entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and services, connect with potential investors, and explore new markets.
It added that participants would gain critical knowledge on digital transformation, access to finance, and strategies for sustainable business growth.
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· NECA stressed that the fair aligns with its broader mission of promoting enterprise development and economic resilience.
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· “By empowering MSMEs with the right support and information, the organisation aims to stimulate job creation, innovation, and long-term economic stability”, NECA said.
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· The 2025 MSMEs Fair is expected to attract a wide range of stakeholders, including financiers, tech experts, regulators, and industry leaders, all united in advancing the growth of Nigeria’s MSME sector.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, says over two million passengers have been transported on the Blue Line Rail since its launch, while state-run buses move an average of 42,000 commuters daily.
Osiyemi, who disclosed this during the Year 2025 Ministerial press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, on Tuesday, noted that the Lagos State Transport Policy, launched in May 2024, was now in its implementation phase, focusing on inclusivity, safety, affordability, and sustainability.
“On rail development, Phase One of the Blue Line (Marina to Mile 2) has served over two million passengers, with Phase Two (Mile 2 to Okokomaiko) in progress.
“Phase One of the Red Line (Agbado to Oyingbo) is now operational with eight stations and additional rolling stocks procured, while Phase two (Oyingbo to link Blue Line at National Theatre) is underway”, he said.
The Commissioner said in the state-owned bus operations, over 60 million commuters have been served since 2019, with daily ridership exceeding 40,000.
He also said plans were on to deploy new buses with Quality Bus Corridors under construction, adding that the Abule=Egba Bus Terminal had also been commissioned.
“For water transport, 15 locally-built Omibus Ferries have been launched and are in operation, with the Ijegun Egba Terminal now open.
“The OMI EKO project, in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), will deliver 25 terminals and 78 electric ferries.
“Over 280,000 passengers have used ferry services in the past year, and 12 boats have been upgraded to meet safety standards”, he said.
On road infrastructure and traffic management, the Commissioner said 49 junction improvement projects had been completed, including ongoing ones at Ikorodu, Iju, as well as Allen-Opebi-Toyin axis.
He added that solar-powered Traffic Signal Lights, road markings covering 67.9km, new medians, laybys, and 3,941 parking lots had also been provided.
Additionally, Osiyemi announced that the deployed Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras had detected over 470,000 traffic violations and that the Vehicle Inspection Service issued over one million roadworthiness certificates.
He also said that the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute trained more than 32,000 drivers in the past 13 months.
The event marked the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term, showcasing major strides in the transport sector under the THEMES+ agenda.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos