Business
Chancellor Wants FG To Invest More In ICT
The Chancellor, Cov
enant University, Ota, Ogun, Dr David Oyedepo, has urged the Federal Government to invest more in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance good governance in the country.
Oyedepo made the assertion at the 3rd Covenant University Conference on e-Governance held in Ota.
The Tide source said that the conference had the theme: “Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for Governance in Nigeria: Achievement, Challenges and Opportunities’’.
According to him, there was the need for the Federal Governance to invest huge funds in ICT for the nation to emerge from its present situation.
It will also curb the sharp practices of politicians during general elections.
“Politicians seek votes in any way they can just to get to power and assume the status of all knowing and unaccountable masters,’’ he said.
He said that there had been global drive to incorporate ICT into different spheres of human endeavour, particularly governance.
Oyedepo explained that an average Nigerian wanted to see a situation where he would be able to vote using ICT without fear of insecurity and making government officials accountable through the platform.
The institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Charles Ayo, said that the nation needed to deploy ICT into every facet of the nation’s operations for good governance.
Ayo stressed that ICT had the potential to reduce the bureaucracy attendant to the management and administration in government at a cost effective manner.
He said that for the nation to experience sustainable development there was the need to reposition it through massive investment in ICT so as to be among the comity of developed nations.
The Convener of the conference, Prof. Patience Akpan-Obong, said the nation was still at the ground level in business of leveraging ICTs to achieve the goals of good governance.
She noted that there was the need for ICTs to become an integral part of the national life so that a desirable e-governance could be achievable.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.