NITDA: Group Commends Buhari,Says Appointment Of Pantami Has Strengthen ICT Devt

The appointment of Isa Pantami as the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has been described as a round peg in a round hole, as it has added the much needed impetus to develop the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector to contribute to the nation’s economy.

The group, Conference of Harmonized Civil Society Organisations at a rally in Abuja also said the appointment helped to curb mismanagement of huge investment of public funds on IT Projects in Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).

NITDA under the leadership of Pantami has introduced a lot of innovations in the ICT sector that the benefits are already manifesting. It has in 2016 alone saved the Federal Government 3 Billion through the introduction of IT procurement and services in the public sector.

Addressing the media during a solidarity rally at the Unity Fountain, on behalf of Conference of Harmonized Civil Society Organisations, Babatunde Otumala maintained that the coming of Pantami in the sector has given a boost to the fight against corruption particularly in the public sector.

“NITDA is championing the cause of local content in the sector. It is ensuring that ministries, department and agencies of government comply with the federal executive council directive to patronage indigenous IT products and services through continuous engagement with indigenous OEMs, relevant stakeholders and other laudable initiatives”.

Otumale explained that President Buhari deserves commendation to appointing a competent citizen to drive the sector that holds great opportunities for the youths and the nation in general.

“We are gathered here today as a coalition of over (100) civil society groups to acknowledge the sanity restored in the Nation’s IT Industry which is regulated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) this revolutionary cleansing is occasioned by the appointment of a pragmatic, responsible and highly principled technocrat; Dr. Ibrahim Isa Pantami as Director General by President Buhari.

“This rally is basically aimed at expressing the gratitude of Nigerians to President Buhari for appointing one of the nation’s best brains to head (NITDA”, he noted.

ICT accounts for about 6 percent of the World’s economy. In Nigeria, according to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) the sector contributes over 10% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).