CPN on NITDA bill 2021: Stop seeking regulatory relevant, stick to development - ITREALMS

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The Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria) (CPN) has described the proposed National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Bill 2021as negation to development, reports ITREALMS.

CPN President and Chairman of Council, Mr. Kole Jagun, made this known recently at the supposed stakeholders engagement organized by NITDA at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to gauge public buy-in of the proposed NITDA Bill 2021.

CPN insisted that NITDA should stick to its role as an IT development agency and stop seeking regulatory relevance.

They alleged that the proposed NITDA Bill 2021 would change the objectives of the development ab nitio and anticipatorily turn the agency into regulator of the Information Technology and majorly revenue collection organisation.

According some participants, it was obvious from the comments, suggestions and opinions expressed by all other stakeholders, at the meeting which held in Abuja on Friday 18th February, 2022 that the NITDA Bill 2021 arrogates powers of several other regulatory agencies to NITDA.

These, industry observers said amounts to negation of development for the IT sector and breach on the statutory powers of other agencies of government like CPN, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Galaxy Backbone (GBB), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the National Universities Commission (NUC), to name but a few.

Participants of the engagement were undivided in their opinions that several sections in the proposed NITDA Bill is an negates development and statutory powers of other agencies of government that existed before the creation of NITDA in early 2000.

For instance, Section 6, 13, 20, 21, and 22, which talked about NITDA’s power, licensing and authorizations, and offences and penalties, among others, raised some pertinent issues.

Precisely, ITREALMS gathered that Section 6 arrogated new powers to NITDA, which included the ability to fix licensing and authorization charges, collect fees and penalties and issue contravention notices and non-compliance with the Act.

ITREALMS equally gathered that all the agencies present during the stakeholders’ engagement were united in their opinion that all the offending sections of the proposed NITDA Bill, purported to giving NITDA powers to perform other agencies’ functions should be expunged immediately.

*Uboshe Uboshe/Editor with additional reports from TechEconomy.ng