The weaponization of cyberspace has made the enthronement of
the Office of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) General of the
Federation, inevitable, reports ITRealms.
This position was canvassed by the former President of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria
(ISPON), Mr. Chris Uwaje, during his presentation at the 4th Nigeria
Mobile Economic Summit & Expo (NiMES 2017) in Lagos, at the weekend.
Uwaje who dwelt on the theme “The Mobile Economy Impact in
Nigeria, Policy Innovation and Investment Benefits and Content,” said that
weaponization of the cyberspace has made it imperative for a national digital
defense focus.
He called on the Senate Committee on Information and
Communications Technology, to without further delay promote the enactment of a National
ICT Framework Bill to harmonize all ICT Acts into one foundation under the
institutional framework of “the Office of
the ICT General of the Federation.”
Uwaje who doubles as the Director-General Delta State Innovation Hub (DSIHUB), said that
the next steps for the country will be to refocus the nation’s ICT vision and
mission on software engineering and innovation development.
This, he said, would ensure national ICT competitiveness and
future survivability.
Also, it would encourage engagement of the challenges emanating
from digital mindchange which could be classified as “Digital Regime-Change
Revolution,” by invigorating digital local content strategic plans for national
adoption.
In addition, Uwaje said the harmonization would accelerate
the diffusion of mobile economy, while implementation of the National Broadband
plan should intensified and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) would be
encouraged to engage constructive IPv6
transition and migration.
He posited that the establishment of National and State
Digital Mobile Taskforce Working groups as a “Train the Trainer” strategy is
imperative.
Establishment of the National ICT Innovation Development
Fund, he said, would fuel the acceleration of digital economy innovation hubs,
and promote Start-up Hackathons at all levels.
“The knowledge Olympiad is the forth industrial revolution
and Nigeria must not be left out of the success story,” he declared.
Nonye Dom/GEE
1 comment:
<< Dr. Kenneth Okereafor (nitelken@yahoo.com) writes >>
.........................................
I concur with the Oracle, Chris Uwaje. In the last two decades, Nigeria has made tremendous progress in IT penetration rate both in Government and private sector computing. Perhaps the best way to put it is that we have reached a point of no return. This should be a cheering piece of news.
However, given the rapidly-growing sophistication of contemporary cyberattack tools and techniques, the Nigerian digital domain is ripe for the so-called "National Digital Defence". The domesticated definition, scope and components of this nomenclature will open up a new vista of IT roles including the ICT-General proposed by Chris Uwaje.
Responsibilities attached to the new roles (while complimenting existing digital institutions) will facilitate an accelerated domestic development of globally-trending ICT concepts and innovations such as IPv6, Green Computing, Digital Forensics, Advanced Persistent Threats, Internet of Things, Telepresence for eGovernment, micro-IP chips, etc.
In the long run, the avalanche effect will instigate a reinvigorated private sector driven digital era.
Kenneth Okereafor, PhD, PhD.
(nitelken@yahoo.com)
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