Tizhe tasks media on IT promotion

The president of the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Mr. Ibrahim Tizhe, has tasked Nigerian media to project Information Technology (IT) as it is the only universally accepted agent of development.

This is coming as he warned Nigerians to know the difference between product certification and professional certification, saying that product certification is not equitable to professional certification.

Speaking in Lagos last weekend, at a quarterly media conference, Tizhe noted that this has always been the fact, but the media in developing countries give prominence to politics, insisting that IT is the bedrock of development,

“IT is the only agent of development, although we have been projecting politics, but the fact is that IT is the root of development,” he said.

He recognized that Nigerian media has been trying over the last decade, especially with the evolution to crept into the economy to promote IT extensively but more needed to be done in terms of ranking of stories that make news in the country.

He also disclosed that CPN membership has grown to over 4,000 since the body was established through Act 49 of 1993.

According to him, the Act was passed into law since June 10 and gazette on August of the same year, thus CPN was charged with the regulation, control and supervision of the computing industry.

Mr. Tizhe also said that product certification involves such certifications as being offered by product manufacturers like Cisco Systems, Microsoft Corporation and Oracle Corporation among others.

He described these as product-based certification and cannot be equated with professional certifications such as the ones offered by CPN.

“These are not substitutes for CPN certifications, but are product specific, thus, they deal precisely on their products,” he declared.

Tizhe explained that CPN qualification gives individuals a broad spectrum of knowledge instead of caging oneself within a given product, which is a limited option.

Also contributing on the chief executive of HiiT, Chief Kayode Shobajo, who doubles as the chairman, Public Relations and Corporate Affairs committee, maintained that vendor certification must be seen as such and has not equivalence in professional certification like the one being offered by CPN.

As said by him, this could only be made clearer with media education and enlightenment of the populace and for those who want to ply their trade in the IT industry.

He hinted that CPN has advanced plans for a congregation of IT professionals for its annual general assembly, which is expected to draw attendance from both local and international members of CPN and allied organizations.

Mr. Tizhe was accompanied at the session by his vice president, Alhaja Sekinat Yusuf, Registrar of CPN, Mr. Sikiru Shehu and Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Sunday Eke.

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