The Minister of Communications, Hon. Adebayo Shittu, has inaugurated a 20-man Implementation Committee on the proposed Information and Communication Technology (ICT) University of Nigeria, reports ITRealms.
Performing this assignment at the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Conference Room, Federal Secretariat Complex, Thursday in Abuja, Shittu expressed delight on the composition, saying the proposal calls for an auspicious occasion.
“I am particularly happy that a new history is today being written in the annals of ICT development in Nigeria,” he declared, stressing that on assumption of office he hosted a stakeholder retreat and that this plan to set up ICT University of Nigeria was one of the fallout of the retreat was the fact that there were several unfilled vacancies in the Nigeria ICT industry because many job seeking Nigerian graduates do not possess the requisite skills to take up such opportunities.
“Expatriates have had a field day. This contrasts sharply with the fact that we have a large pool of unemployed youths in the country
He also disclosed that members of the committee on the ICT University would be led by Prof. Julius Okojie, Dr. Amina Sambi-Magaji, Prof. Ibikunle Tijani, Wole Oyeniran, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, Eng. Kazeem Raji, Dr. Joshua Atah, Abdulhakeem Ajijola, Liz Donaholu, Hakeem Adeniji Adele, Dr. Suleiman Mohammed,Olaniyan Mathew, Ayoola Oke, Chris Uwaje, Prof. Olusegun Okunnu, Prof. Aderounmu Adesaola, Kabir Usman, Tajudeen Kareem, Dr. Suleiman Garba, Prof. Patience Akpan-Obong.
“Expatriates have had a field day. This contrasts sharply with the fact that we have a large pool of unemployed youths in the country,” he said.
Shittu equally said that in order to ensure that Nigeria keeps pace with the rapidly changing technological development in the global ICT industry, deliberate policy strategies must therefore be put in place within a nationally and globally defined agenda for sustainable ICT development.
He explained that as the Nigeria ICT sector continues to evolve at a frenetic pace, and with technology increasingly converging into all sectors of the economy, the demand for technical talent and specialists across a range of sectors would continue to grow, as we strive to meet the growing demand in the emerging digital economy.
“Tis also brings to the fore, the need to have a logical plan for manpower development and long-term workforce planning as well as Research & Development (R&D) in this critical sector,” he said.
The potentials of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) are enormous and the benefits to the country unquantifiable.
“The Institute, when transformed into the ICT University, will provide fit-for-purpose curricular to cater for University graduates with specialization in various ICT fields and expertise,” he said, emphasizing that this will create employment opportunities for Nigerians both locally, within the West-African sub-region and even at the international level, aside from several opportunities that would be created for self-employment.
Nonye Dom/GEE
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