The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa. CCIE, has reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to accelerate digital literacy and expand access to technology across Nigeria’s basic education system.

Inuwa made this known while receiving the UBEC management team, led by its Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, during a courtesy visit to NITDA Headquarters in Abuja.

He emphasised that collaboration between NITDA and UBEC is central to achieving Nigeria’s national digital literacy targets. “For us, partnering with you will help us achieve more in terms of reaching all students in basic education,” he said, noting that while significant progress has been made in training teachers, the broader national objective must prioritise learners.

He explained that teacher capacity development efforts are already yielding positive results, with digital literacy modules now embedded in NITDA’s programmes and mandated for educators. “We have achieved a lot in training teachers, but impact must be measurable,” he stated. “We need the numbers. How many students are being reached?” he asked, reiterating NITDA’s digital literacy targets of 70 per cent by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030.

The Director General underscored the importance of leveraging data to measure impact effectively. “With this system, we should be able to know each teacher and how many people they are impacting, so that we can keep proper records and have the numbers,” he said, highlighting the role of Artificial Intelligence and data analytics in tracking progress nationwide.

On infrastructure, he disclosed that NITDA has deployed over 1,500 digital learning centres across the country under its strategic pillar on promoting inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services. While some centres are well utilised, others remain underused. “We want every Nigerian to have access to digital infrastructure and services,” Inuwa stated, proposing that both agencies share data, map their interventions, and complement each other’s efforts to maximise impact.

Addressing the issue of internet connectivity in schools, Inuwa called for further exploration of sustainable models. “Let us explore multiple services they can use. How can we get more internet services to schools” he asked, stressing that connectivity is crucial to unlocking the full potential of digital learning facilities.

Beyond infrastructure and literacy, Inuwa offered to share NITDA’s digital transformation playbook with UBEC to support internal reforms within the Commission. “Digital transformation is a journey. It is not a one-off initiative. At each stage, when you reach your target, you need to set a new one,” he said.

He cited NITDA’s AI transformation roadmap, which involved training all staff on Generative AI and encouraging them to develop innovative use cases. “The idea was to train them and challenge them to see how AI can enhance what they do,” he explained, adding that, “AI is not here to replace people. If a junior staff member can transition from moving files to managing an AI system, I believe anyone can embrace and use AI.”

Inuwa further explained how process re-engineering within the Agency reduced repetitive approvals and administrative bottlenecks. “A Director General is not an expert in audit, procurement, or project management. Why can’t they just work and bring the final product for approval?” he remarked, noting that streamlined workflows allow leadership to focus on strategic direction.

In her remarks, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, described the partnership with NITDA as both strategic and essential. She said, “For us in UBEC, our key mandate is universal access to basic education for all Nigerian children. So, it’s a big responsibility,” stressing that UBEC does not consider this mandate one it can fulfil alone. “We always seek partners that work with us—not just government agencies, but also communities and parents,” she added.

Garba highlighted the scale of the challenge, noting that over 47 million children are currently within Nigeria’s basic education system. “Whatever the number is, it’s not a small one,” she said, referencing varying statistics on out-of-school children. “Outside basic education, you have fewer than five million. So, this is really the biggest stake we all have.”

She emphasised that collaboration with NITDA is key to bridging access gaps and improving quality. “Partnering with NITDA is a necessity for us. We need to work together to use technology to bridge the lack of access in the country and to improve the quality of education,” she said, pointing to enrolment concerns and foundational literacy challenges in some states.

Garba also expressed appreciation for the NITDA Director General’s continued support.

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission has stated its resolve to collaborate with other relevant security agencies to ensure that policies against cyberattacks and threats to businesses are more effective.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, disclosed this at the 10th edition of Business 360 Clinics organised by Abuja Enterprises Agency.

Danbatta, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Digital Economy, NCC, Paul Okeke, said, “As a regulator of telecommunication, the commission is in active collaboration with other agencies in the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, as well as with other public sector institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and Office of the National Security Adviser to ensure that policies become effective in curtailing cyber-attacks and threats on businesses.”

During a panel session titled “Technology Adoption: A must for MSMEs Sustainability and Competitiveness (Challenges and Ease of Use)”, Okeke stated that the NCC had partnered with various organisations including the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, which birthed initiatives such as the Digital Economy Academy, where business owners learn about security risks and online threats in a 12-course programme for three months.

Speaking on the theme of the event, “Technology Utilisation and Innovation: Effects on SME Profitability and Productivity”, the NCC boss also committed to continually driving initiatives that accelerate broadband deployment to increase penetration and make internet connection available to telecom consumers.

Cyberattacks have grown tremendously in Nigeria with the NCC constantly releasing advisories through its Computer Security Incident Response Team.

READ ALSO: TikTok and Minimizing Security Risks When Adopting New Technologies

According to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the increase in cyberattacks was threatening the growth of the continent’s digital economy.

Quoting a recently published ‘Africa Cybersecurity Report,’ he disclosed that cyber-attacks in Africa increased by 300 per cent in 2022.

Punching.com

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TECHDIGEST – The Team Lead of the North East ICT Initiative (NEICTI), Abdulrahman Barkindo Alkali, has been up and down in recent times with a robust plan to take ICT savviness to the majorly disadvantaged areas of the Northeast. In this exclusive interview with TechDigest’s trio of Abbas Badmus, Zeenat Sambo and Fom Gyem, Alkali opened up on the plans and modalities for the upcoming training workshop for Northeast youngsters which is set to take place in Gombe.

Can you tell us the agenda and immediate plan of the NEICTI?

The North East ICT Initiative (NEICTI) is a youth-driven non-profit organisation which we started about a decade ago. It was founded primarily to among other things, foster the promotion of ICT and innovations within the Northeast zone of Nigeria. One of our core objectives is to take ICT and digital literacy to the digitally disadvantaged rural dwellers.
There is a project our organisation is about to accomplish this August. It is themed “First North East Telecoms & Networking Workshop.” We are doing this in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy through its various agencies and partners like the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Galaxy Backbone and other corporate institutions in Nigeria.

What specific role is the Ministry playing in the event and have you reached out to them?

We have written to them and we are expecting a positive feedback.

What kind of partnership do you seek from them?

The program was meant to take place in our headquarters in Yola, Adamawa State. Then, we were advised by people to move it to Gombe which is more strategic because it is the Minister’s state, We wrote the Governor, requesting as the host state to give us accommodation and feeding for the participants. The Commissioner and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science and Technology have both reached out to us to confirm the accommodation arrangement.

They are giving us accommodation in Gombe State University hostel. We told them that we have people coming from the academia as well, lecturers and professors because these courses are high earned courses in 5G, AI and the rest. So I asked the Perm Sec for more but he said based on the reality of the economy, that is all the accommodation they can offer and even for the feeding, he was not sure if they will take responsibility for it.

What do you propose to be the role of NITDA in the event?

We are requesting NITDA and NCC to give the participants one laptop each. Also, we are looking up to Galaxy Backbone to provide resource persons and MTN/Glo and Airtel to assist us with materials, Mifi and possibly, accommodation so that the event will be successful.

We have written to them and the telecom companies but we are yet to hear positive response from them but are hopeful they will respond soon.

NITDA North East office in Gombe is giving us venue for the workshop. We have 6 halls named after the North East state training centers in Gombe. Each of the training facilities has ICT capacity that we can use for these courses but we will still follow up with NITDA to facilitate some of our requests.

Actually we have written to them since last year that we want partnership, we gave our complete proposals but they said they don’t have the budget allocation to take care of this kind of events but they said they can help in terms of resource persons and facilitators.

How many participants are you looking at?

We have 50 participants from each state of the 6 northeast states making it 300 participants for the event..

Is this your first edition of this program?
Yes

Is this annually?

Yes, after this we will move online for virtual classes. We have online academics although Galaxy Backbone has online academy offering all these courses. So it’s just for us to set the ball running with this and subsequently move online. After this program, we will sit with the stakeholders and they will look through it.

We have never done any program this huge that’s why we included NITDA so that they can support and give the laptops to a contractor to guarantee that the laptops are given to the rightful individuals. So the contractor and NITDA will be the one to come to the training workshop and give out the laptops to the participants.

How did you select the participants and are they paying?

No they are not paying. The program is free. They are selected based on their expertise. They are professionals in IT and they are ecosystem technical players. These courses are not for the layman, they are for people already in the tech field that participate in the ecosystem activities. Right now we have 5,300 applicants.

In each state of the north east we have focal persons and I have sent an excel application form for them to fill and choose from among the tech ecosystem players fit to participate. But for a state like Borno, selection is done between the tech community and the Ministry because they do it in unison. Borno and Yobe have ministry of science and technology unlike Adamawa, so they participate in selecting applicants.

Do you have the full list of the participants?

Yes, we have the comprehensive list of all the participants as submitted by the states to participate in the first North East Telecoms and Networking Workshop taking place from August 8th-20th this year.

So what academy logo will be on the certificate?

The certificate will be under Galaxy Backbone Academy to make it more authoritative and credible. Galaxy Backbone partners companies like Huawei and other notable tech outlets. Well, we know that Huawei also has their own online academy but I don’t know which one is allocated because they have many partners but we are hopeful it will be Huawei because I already know their online academy. So the certificate will be titled “North East ICT Development Initiative Certificate”.

What are the challenges do you face as an organisation?

The major challenge we are faced with is lack of mentoring. We don’t have enough ICT/ Tech savvy personnel in the northeast to mentor the teaming youth. Also there is lack of networking in the Northeast, everybody wants to go on solo game.

No tech solutions coming from the northeast, making us helpless when we are in need of tech experts to tackle faulty technical operations. Another challenge is the lack of collaboration and synergy which we hope will be resolved with the successful hosting of this coming workshop.

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TECHDIGEST – Human rights activist, Segun Awosanya, popularly known as Segalink, speaks with SEGUN ADEWOLE on the cyber bullying and intolerant attitude displayed by members of the Peter Obi campaign.

You were once loved on social media for your effort in securing the release of youths wrongly arrested by the police. What do you think changed that led to the hate you face today?

If you have ever studied social sciences and human behaviour you will agree with me that human beings are mostly fickle and capable of both good and evil. You can also be assured that I have known this since my teenage years when I began my conscious journey as an outlier.

Suffice to say that this was expected all along, if the lessons from our folklore and biblical teachings are anything to go by. The same mouth people use to shout Hosanna is the same one they will deploy in chanting to crucify him. Our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth in flesh, and despite all the good done and the legacy of the gospel left, he was crucified, and Barnabas was chosen by the people he came to redeem over him.

Since 2017, we have used social media to communicate the intent of our advocacy #EndSARS and #ReformPoliceNG while running interventions as a stop-gap and engaging authorities on the critical need to end the culture of impunity and reform the Nigeria Police Force holistically.

We have thus made significant progress with that with the New Police Act 2020 and the Police Trust Fund 2019 Laws, long before the protest.

Today, the Social Intervention Advocacy Foundation, which I had the honour of founding and leading, is still at the forefront of ensuring holistic national security reform across institutions in collaboration with state institutions. So we are far more focused on the future of younger generations and the unborn with the legacy we are building than being distracted by what people are liking and hating. No iota of my self-esteem is tied to the validation of any mob.

The truth, likewise, is not found in the mob. We are out there to serve the vulnerable in society, most of whom are being threatened, railroaded, blackmailed and cowered by these hate groups posturing fraudulently as the youth of Nigeria, with their campaign of calumny cleverly hidden behind a political campaign as done during the #EndSARS protest.

How do you feel every time you get bullied and attacked on social media just for airing your views and expressing your stance on critical societal discourses?

As often stated, the evil most hypocrites point at in leadership actually emanates from our dying society. Our rulers, police officers, etc. didn’t fall from the sky. So whether you are talking about corruption or the compendium of social ills that plague our country today, you will find them in the citizens who are members of society.

All these were carefully considered over three decades ago when I became expressive about my life purpose. No matter how hard the wind howls, the mountain will not bow to it. I can’t be bullied; I have never been and would never be.

The tantrums of the teeming misguided only underscore the impact of the dearth of quality education and weaponised poverty in our society. We now have a village of sons of perdition and daughters of Delilah, making themselves available as tools for hate campaigns just to make ends meet.

I feel nothing but sympathy for the future of our society and most especially the crying need for a declaration of emergency on the failure of parenting in the country. This was part of the inspiration for our #ResponsibleParenting campaign, which we launched five years ago. This has nothing to do with me, but with our decaying society and our government’s failure to engage our youth, who are mostly despondent.

You were recently accused by a journalist, David Hundeyin of claiming to be a lawyer when you are not. Can you give clarification on that?

I have stated specifically on the record several times in my tweets from 2014 till date that I am not a lawyer. I, however, have run successful advocacy and have served on various tribunals based on my experience in security matters, civil society engagements, and the criminal justice system. I have corrected this impression several times, and only a pretend journalist would make such an unfounded claim, despite the litany of evidence in my interaction online.

We have proven to the world, however, that you don’t have to be a lawyer to be a successful advocate for good governance and universal institutional reforms.

Bill Gates leads in vaccines, and he doesn’t have to be a doctor, and there are several people leading in fields outside what they studied professionally.

In the early years of our advocacy, media/TV appearances mislabelled and occasionally misrepresented my profession in their introduction, and these were corrected (most of the time during interludes). I haven’t in the past made any of these interviews about myself, nor have I allowed any emotional story of my emergence to go on the record.

I can also understand the obsession and the morbid craving for acknowledgement by most people who want their own time in the spotlight, but I humbly believe the way in which they hope to procure this by attempting to smear public figures is misguided and unfortunate.

I am Segalink, and there is nothing as great as validating yourself, stripped of all earthly accomplishments. I go by my name only and I want nothing from anyone.

Fundamentally, yes. The #EndSARS and #ReformPoliceNG movement are certainly not the same as the protest movement, which deployed #EndSARS as a banner for the expression of their discontent without recourse to the trajectory of the advocacy.

However, the ‘EndSARS’ protest movement, which defied state curfew amidst other vices they would never take responsibility for, is the same movement as the Obidient movement as characterised by their coercion, blackmail, belligerence, cyberbullying of public figures, malevolence, libel, mendacity, and violation of the rights of other citizens.

I can authoritatively state that all the hate groups in the country are now enjoying an ‘AirBnB’ under the negligent Peter Obi Presidential Campaign, namely the IPOB agitators, who never wanted an election in Nigeria; perpetual cum commercial protesters, known to jump on anything popular to validate their existence; failed and aggrieved members of the Buhari Media Campaign, known for their belligerence and cyberbullying; the feminist coalition, who sought to use the protest as a cover for the push for same sex marriage in Nigeria but was rebuffed; and several others caught in the middle without clarity on what is real and what is fictional.

Suffice to say that the agitators are well known as individual groups, and the purpose of their current coalition is ominous. It is never in the interest of the peace, unity, and progress of our democracy.

The idea behind political campaigns is to win hearts and minds, and nothing explains the coercion and targeted harassment of individuals without provocation in order to force an endorsement.

No Nigerian was forced to support the #EndSARS and #ReformPoliceNG movement because the goal and objective speak for themselves.

It’s worthy of note that these groups never supported the advocacy nor contributed positively to the conversation and engagement of the authorities even though it benefited them until they had to protest under the name of its objective.

So, clearly, there is no surprise for us here, as a leopard never changes its spots. Anyone who believes there is any true healthy communication and problem solving with narcissists is naive. They never take responsibility for their part in anything. They are the mascots of gaslighting and manipulation in conversations. The focus will always be brought back on you, what you did in the past, and they will get mad at you for getting mad at them. They hold on to your description of their actions and take offence without addressing their own actions for triggering such a response.

Do you foresee a situation where violence will erupt as a result of the non-tolerant attitude allegedly displayed by some people on social media?

In the parlance of law, “Res ipsa loquitur” is a Latin phrase that means “the thing speaks for itself.” So this is not merely an allegation that the cluster of hate hubs that hijacked the Peter Obi campaign are belligerently intolerant, malicious, malevolent and will no doubt clash with other interests once the full campaign begins, which may trigger a series of violence toward the 2023 election.

Our role as a civic space monitoring organisation includes highlighting early warning signs, which we have done in the past. We have never been wrong with our prognosis and have advised the authorities to be prepared as well as position themselves to prevent the occurrence of all-out violence due to political differences and public incitement by these interest groups.

Recently, Pastor Poju Oyemade and billionaire Femi Otedola were called out by youths on Twitter for expressing views they didn’t like. Do you think Nigeria is now approaching a situation where only one viewpoint is allowed?

Sadly, this is demonstrably the extremist position of these aggressors in the coalition. They want to militarise and weaponise their interests with the identity politics of hate that they have made out of the Peter Obi Campaign.

No public figure, and by extension, citizens of Nigeria, is safe to air their political views, even as guaranteed and protected by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

The freedom of expression and association of Nigerians are now constantly violated by the hate groups holding the Peter Obi Campaign hostage.

From Reno Omokri, Poju Oyemade, Femi Otedola, my humble self and many others to come, we can see the pattern of their attacks based on the common factor that all notable Nigerians must submit to their whims and caprices and bow to the graven image they have carved for Peter Obi in reverence.

According to their identity politics of hate, you are not Nigerian enough if you are not an idolater chanting the name of Peter Obi as your lord and saviour, and certainly don’t want the good of the country.

This is an infringement on the fundamental rights of all Nigerians, and as often done on matters like this, we have risen against the abusive trend and have reported its continuance to the authorities.

Source: punchng.com

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TECHDIGEST – Social media giants, Meta, Google, Twitter and Microsoft have agreed to take a tougher line against disinformation including deep fakes and fake accounts, under an updated EU code of practice or face hefty fines.

Their move, PRNigeria gathered, is coming barely three days after the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, released its ‘Code of Practice’ for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries and Conditions for Operating in Nigeria.

The Code of Practice was developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as well as input from Interactive Computer Service Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, and Tik Tok, among others.

READ ALSO : NITDA’s ‘Code of Practice for Online Platforms’ and National Security

“The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is mandated by section 6 of the NITDA Act 2007, to standardize, coordinate and develop regulatory frameworks for all Information Technology (IT) practices in Nigeria.

“In accordance with its mandates, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, directed the Agency to develop a Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries (Online Platforms), in collaboration with relevant Regulatory Agencies and Stakeholders.

“In line with the directive, NITDA wishes to present to the Public a Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries for further review and input,” the agency’s spokesperson, Hadiza Umar, had said in a statement obtained by PRNigeria.

Meanwhile, over 30 signatories including advertising bodies have signed up for the updated Code of Practice on Disinformation, the European Commission said.

The signatories agree to do more to tackle deep fakes, fake accounts and political advertising while non-compliance can lead to fines as much as 6% of a company’s global turnover, the EU executive said, confirming a Reuters report last week.

The companies have six months to comply with pledges, with a progress report due at the beginning of 2023.

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TECHDIGEST – The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is exploring partnership with Mastercard and the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) to host a training workshop on cybersecurity and data protection.

The NITDA is one of the key implementers of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria. It is currently pursuing an ambitious target of achieving 95% national digital literacy by 2030.

“To ignite digital innovation activities in the country, relevant partnerships would be necessary as the federal government is not relenting in its efforts of creating an enabling environment to attract local and foreign investors which would in turn trigger the exponential growth of the sector and the Nation’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP),” said NITDA’s Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi while receiving a Mastercard team in Abuja led by Country Manager and Area Head for Mastercard, West Africa, Ebihijie Momoh and Director of Public Policy for Mastercard, Sub-Saharan Africa, George Owuor.

According to Abdullahi, one of NITDA’s landmarks initiatives is its Virtual Academy – a massive open platform for online courses where Nigerians can go and learn at their own pace and also get digital certificates.

READ ALSO: ASUU Threatens To Withdraw NITDA Boss Degree Certificate

He said the agency desires to explore cooperation with Mastercard and other multinational corporations to train about one million indigenous ICT professionals in order to fast track the creation of some digital services Nigerians currently need.

“We know globally there is shortage of talents and Africa is the next frontier because we have the youngest population… so everybody’s looking at Africa to provide the talent,” said Abdullahi, who expressed worries over the low number of programmers to drive the tech ecosystem and make it globally competitive.

“I believe we cannot succeed in isolation. That’s why we won’t work in silos. We need to work together so that we can see the impact and harness the full potential,” he added.

Momoh assured that Mastercard will help to build data protection and cybersecurity capabilities in the country even as Owuor affirmed the corporation’s readiness to support NITDA in achieving its mandate, particularly as it relates to its digital literacy agenda based on the Seven Pillars of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP). Owuor said the forthcoming workshop will be beneficial to not just NDPB, but the digital value tech chain.

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TECHDIGEST – Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have warned that the high cost of diesel, which is presently been sold at above N700 per liter is capable of causing service disruption across the country.

The operators, who gave the warning through its umbrella body the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), also warned that if nothing is done to bring down the cost of diesel, then operators will have no choice but to begin a process of price review.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, the Chairman of ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, also expressed concern over the general state of security in the country, disclosing that telecom operators are unable to provide 24/7 support in certain areas as it is unsafe to send out service personnel to some parts of the country and to others at certain times of the day.

READ ALSO : Nigeria Startup Bill Passes Second Reading At Senate

“We are concerned about the cost of diesel, which has recently risen from N250 to N750 per liter. This is threatening service availability as many of us can no longer afford the cost to power our cellular sites,” Engr. Adebayo said.

While reaffirming ALTON’s commitment to work working with the security agencies in order to provide the necessary support for national security, Engr. Adebayo called on the Government to do a lot more to keep the nation safe.

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TECHDIGEST – The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Branch, has threatened to initiate the process of withdrawing the degree certificate of the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, as an alumnus of the university.

This withdrawal, the union said, was been considered after Inuwa’s submission that “the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, had failed integrity test, vulnerability test (security integrity), User Acceptance Test and stress load test, as well as the hardware requirements.”

The union described his submission, which it claimed, was made on March 9th, 2022, after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the prompting of his boss the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as an “unguarded statement”.

In a press release, on Thursday, titled: UTAS AND NITDA’S LIES, which was read to journalists by the ASUU ATBU Branch Chairperson, Ibrahim Inuwa, the union advised the NITDA boss to retrace his steps to the path of truth and academic excellence.

READ ALSO : Finally, NITDA Reacts to ASUU Over UTAS Platform

Failure to align with academic excellence and the path of truth for which the university had awarded him a degree, the union said, it will be left with no option than to carry out its threats.

According to the union, we are not surprised at the calculated attempt by agents of government particularly the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy and DG, NITDA to kill UTAS.

The statement read in part, “They both have demonstrated severe nationalism deficiency syndrome in their dealings and handling of critical issues as it concerns their offices and positions in government, revealing how ill-equipped they are with the current status of public Universities in Nigeria.

“The Union views the comments of the DG NITDA as highly misleading, unwarranted and totally unacceptable, it is a deliberate act to frustrate the deployment of UTAS. We observe that at the time the DG NITDA was making such statements (i.e on the 9th March 2022), he was aware of a joint test of the UTAS application by the ASUU Technical Team and NITDA to iron out discrepancies in the initial NITDA report.

“The current test was arranged at a meeting involving NITDA, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy. To put the record straight, we are obliged to enlighten the public that UTAS was applauded and received positive commendations at different levels of government during its presentation to the leadership of the National Assembly, Joint Committee of NITDA, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Vice-Chancellors and Bursars of Federal Universities (end users), to say the least, UTAS has gone through seven different presentations, reports from the previous test by NITDA scored UTAS 85% in User Acceptance Test.

“ASUU, therefore, wonders why agents of government are insisting on an IPPIS in spite of its obvious weaknesses, maybe this will allow them to continue to steal public funds. We will therefore no longer tolerate the delay tactics of NITDA Technical Team and their collaborators for the endless test on UTAS,” it warned.

“ASUU ATBU Bauchi is particularly sad that both the Minister of Communications Isa Ali Pantami and DG, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa are products of our prestigious University, known for its high standards of learning and discipline.

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy should be able to separate his official responsibility from his personal interest. It is our hope that there is no attempt by the Minister and his agents to frustrate UTAS due to ASUUS’ principled stand on the failure of his appointment as a Professor by Federal University of Technology Owerri to satisfy the laid down rules and regulations governing such appointments of the University.

“The DG of NITDA is requested to retrace his steps to the path of truth and academic excellence for which the University had awarded him a degree, failure of which the Union will be left with no option but to initiates the process of withdrawal of his degree certificate as an alumnus of ATBU, Bauchi.”

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TECHDIGEST – The Federal Government said that it was working to achieve a paperless government system by 2030.

Prof. Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said this at the Champions Day and closing of 2021 Service Wide Capacity Building Programme on e-Government at the e-Government Training Centre (e-GTC) in Abuja.

The training, held in eight batches, was facilitated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) with support from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 1,376 public servants were trained from Nov. 2020 to Dec. 2021 at the centre located in the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Abuja.

The beneficiaries are expected to drive the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) to achieve change and leverage technology in building a vibrant digital economy.

Pantami recalled that from 2019 to the end of 2021 the ministry had come up with 16 policies to drive the digital economy agenda which included policies on Virtual Engagements and e-Government.

He said, “by 2030, we hope to achieve a paperless government that will be driven by Blockchain technology and that can be used to achieve a lot.”

The Minister said that through government efforts, NITDA, by approving IT projects in MDAs in 2019 and 2020, was able to save the FG about N9 billion and about N152 million.

According to him, by the implementation of policies in the sector, more can be achieved.

He directed the e-GTC committee to ensure digitisation of activities in the centre in the year.

“The committee should ensure that the training is extended to state governments and Chief Executives of organisations for a comprehensive e-Government system and educate them on the benefits of digitalisation of government processes.

“We also need a database of these trainings for reference sake to raise the country’s ranking at the international community,” he said.

The Minister urged the champions to replicate the training in their various organisations in a train-the-trainer manner to ensure the training transcended to their colleagues.

Dr Folasade Yemi-Essan, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, said the OHCSF was working with NITDA to create a digital platform for easy service delivery in the public service space.

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