Gowon to preside @ NITTA-08

Former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) has been tipped to preside over the seventh Nigerian Information Technology and Telecom Awards (NITTA 2008) due to hold in Lagos, on November 14, 2008.

A press statement made available to ITRealms Online by the organisers, IT & Telecom Digest, weekend, quoted Gen. Gowon as saying that he accepted to preside over the event because of the pivotal role the event plays in the Nigerian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and the economy in general.

According to them, this is more so now that NITTA is geared towards rewarding hard work and engendering excellence in the country’s ICT sector.

Gen. Gowon would be joined at the high table by another respected elder statesman, Ambassador Matthew T. Mbu, who has also accepted to be the Father of the Day at the epoch-making occasion.

NITTA 2008, which is on its seventh edition, is said to be a culmination of the celebration of the seventh year of the Nigerian ICT Revolution.

Mbu, who was a former foreign affairs minister, had earlier commended NITTA for raising the consciousness of the public on the activities of operators, service providers and government institutions in the Nigerian Information and Communications Technology industry.

The annual awards programme through due recognition to deserving products, services, operators and institutions, Ambassador Mbu stated, has contributed immensely in shaping the Nigerian ICT industry, and ultimately the Nigerian economy.

Ambassador Mbu, who was Nigeria’s first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, made the observations when he accepted to play the role of Father of the Day at this year’s NITTA, scheduled to hold on November 14 at Muson Centre, Lagos.

“Credible recognitions such as those bestowed on awardees at NITTA must be commended and the integrity of this particular programme needs to be commended so that the Nigerian ICT industry will continue to benefit from the quality work and contributions of those who win at each NITTA event,” he said.

Stressing that a Nigerians worry about quality of service issues, infrastructure and skilled manpower, among other challenges, asserting that those who have excelled despite these hurdles “deserve to be recognised and commended, and this is where NITTA comes in and is doing a good job and I commend the organisers.”

The organisers said enquiries from industry operators, service providers and the general public for this year’s event have almost doubled last year’s, an indication that the interest generated by this year’s event is extremely high.

“They’ve been various phone calls, emails and indeed visits by various companies, service providers and operators, all wanting to be kept abreast of activities leading up to the D-Day,” stated Mr. Mkpe Abang, Editor-in-Chief of IT & Telecom Digest, organisers of the event.

“Comparatively, this year there has been so much interest and so many enquiries that it more than doubled last year’s; this shows the respect the general public and stakeholders have for NITTA, and on behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to assure everyone that this year’s event will be a hit, especially as it is the culmination of the celebration of the seven years of the revolution in the Nigerian ICT industry,” Abang further said.


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