By Dwelleth Morountodun
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday revealed that 9 million Nigerians have benefitted from federal government’s
Social Investment Programme (SIP), which started when his administration came to power.
The President who made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of the 2018 eNigeria conference organized by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said SIP which relies heavily on ICT is the the largest and most ambitious social safety net programme in Nigeria’s history.
According components of programmes such as the N-Power, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) all leverage on ICT.
Also, he added that NITDA, in collaboration with the National Social Investment Office (NSIO), is coordinating Federal Government’s initiative of establish 8 Innovation Hubs, one in each of the six Geo-Political Zones and one each in Lagos and Abuja.
The purpose of establishing these hubs he added is to facilitate digital capacity building for immediate employment, entrepreneurial skills development, job and wealth creation. All these are aimed at promoting the digital economy in an era of disruptive technology through effective regulations.
The President said: “I’ am delighted to be here at the commencement of this event – the 2018 e-Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition. The theme of this occasion – “Promoting Digital Economy in an Era of Disruptive Technologies Through Effective Regulations” is apt, building on last year’s theme that centred on Fostering the Digital Economy through Local Content Development and Effective Regulation.”
According to him, the administration’s commitment towards delivering good governance and development to our people is as strong as ever, considering the huge role ICT is playing in the successes recorded in the past three and a half years.
“The sector’s contribution of about 10% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). I am pleased to note that this has been taken seriously and stakeholders’ efforts resulted in ICT emerging as one of the key performers of the second quarter of 2018 by recording 11.81% growth.
“We challenged the country’s reliance on foreign hardware resulting into the importation of about 80% of ICT hardware through local distributors of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) by MDAs and other government establishments. We stressed the need for concerted efforts aimed at reversing the trend.
“It is pleasing to note the efforts by all relevant stakeholders in forging strategic partnerships towards ensuring that Nigeria becomes an export hub for ICT hardware in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Buhari stated.
He said the efforts of NITDA aimed at reorganising the registration and certification process for OEMs to ensure adherence to world class standards as well as guarantee quality and durable devices are highly commendable, adding that the agency is encouraged to work with relevant regulatory agencies to ensure strict compliance with these new regulatory instruments.
According to him, the agency’s work on the Nigerian ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vision that focuses on the development of Digital Infrastructure, Education Reform, Skills Development and Research and Development as well as supporting the ecosystem is highly commendable.
He said: “I note that NITDA and other relevant government agencies have taken this up by creating the enabling environment through the development of policies, frameworks, standards and guidelines.
“I am aware that some of these regulatory instruments have been subjected to critical scrutiny and revision through a series of stakeholder engagements.
“Efforts should be intensified at making them public as well as sensitising public servants and the general public about the value of these regulatory instruments.”
Acknowledging the role of NITDA in anti corruption drive, he said, the enforcement of the use of the policy on Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the impact they have made on the administration’s public financial management reforms.
He said: “In addition to the consolidation of accounts and elimination of ghost workers that resulted in a combined monthly savings of about N24.7 billion, the TSA facilitated the recovery of huge sums of money including the recent N1.6 billion from a single account. These policy initiatives reinforce this administration’s fight against corruption by ensuring transparency and accountability in government business transactions.