Okereafor backs call for ICT General of the Federation, seeks domestication

ITREALMS:

Seasoned Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professional, Dr. Kenneth Okereafor has drummed support on the call for an ICT General of the Federation, reports ITRealms.

Reacting to the recent call by former President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, Chief Chris Uwaje, who made the call in Lagos, had declared that "Weaponization of cyberspace makes ‘Office of ICT General’ inevitable" Dr. Okereafor said, he concurred with Uwaje also known in the industry as the Oracle, but sought for domestication of definition, so as to add more value to nation building.

As said by him, the last two decades has seen fantastic progress in the information technology 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,” he said.

Okereafor, who is a telecommunication engineer, noted however, that given the rapidly-growing sophistication of contemporary cyberattack tools and techniques, “the Nigerian digital domain is ripe for the ‘National Digital Defence’.

According to Okereafor, a certified network security specialist, 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.”

He posited that the responsibilities attached to the new roles whilst 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, etcetera etcetera.”

Okereafor, who enjoys membership of the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), predicts that in the long run, the avalanche effect will instigate a reinvigorated private sector driven digital era.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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