Ndukwe, Angaye drum support for Internet-for-Job project

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, and the chief executive, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Cleopas Angaye, have drummed support for the Internet-for-Job (I4J) initiative of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG).

Both spoke at the commissioning of I4J in Lagos at the weekend.

For Dr. Ndukwe, he is always marvelled over the power of Internet.

“The Internet today is empowering users and creating new business model that before now were unknown to man,” he said, stressing that the Internet is in fact revolutionizing how mankind live and do business.

Dr. Ndukwe pointed out that Internet represents an exciting knew frontier, with abundant opportunities that could make a man from the remotest part of the world communicate with another man from the most advanced part of the world on a real time basis.

NIG, he said, has performed creditably in the last 11 years and deserves every support and commendations.

He added that in order to back the provision of jobs for Nigerians on the Internet, his commission would be making the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) available to NIG, especially on this initiative.

While promising NIG of NCC readily support, anytime, any day, he applauded the leadership of the group, chaired by Mr. Lanre Ajayi.

He enjoined members to remain steadfast in their desire to be part of the global village, which has been restructured through the evolution of the Internet, and called on Nigerians, especially those who intend to tap the Internet for economic reasons to embrace I4J initiative.

In his remarks at the occasion, Prof. Angaye, reassured NIG of NITDA support and called on Nigerians not to loose sight of the importance of the initiative, which is to boost job creation in the country.

Prof. Angaye also said that the scheme is in line with the nation’s Information Technology (IT) policy.

In his address to the occasion, NIG President and chief executive, PiNet Informatics, Mr. Ajayi, said the commissioning was in fulfilment of outlined self-goals by the group.

According to him, the initiative was encapsulated in making Nigeria a knowledge -based economy, beginning with a seminar to sensitise Nigerians on what I4J is all about.

The event with the theme, “Internet for Jobs: Promoting Internet Entrepreneurship in Nigeria,” he said, would take the organisation to the next level of its mandate, through promotion and development of local content on the Internet and creating local Internet entrepreneurs.

He also said that basically, “I4J is one of NIG’s vision statement to use the internet as a platform for creating jobs opportunities for Nigerians and making Nigeria a positive contributor to the emerging knowledge economy.’”

The aspiration of NIG at this time in point, is to make Nigeria a preferred destination for the global internet-related services including outsourcing web application development, e-commerce and software development thereby creating job opportunities for our people, thus this initiative is pace setting one and is billed to the grow the ICT in the country.


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