Emma Okonji
Owing to the present economic downturn that the country is experiencing, the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), the umbrella body for all computer practitioners in the country, has called on the federal government to encourage local production, in order to reduce importation of foreign products, which the society said, amount to capital flight that the country is known for in time past.
Outsourcing our ICT needs to foreign organisations cannot be supported by the scarce foreign exchange, according to NCS.
At the just concluded National Conference of Nigeria Computer Society held in Abuja, with the sub theme “Enhancing Security using Software Systems’’, experts of the profession averred that there was need to have home grown technology instead of relying on the foreign technology to solve the country’s domestic security challenges especially at this time of unstable economy.
The discussants were unanimous in their opinion that government should look inward and patronise made in Nigeria goods to save our economy from total collapse. They advised government to uphold the local content policy framework and liaise with NITDA, and office for Nigerian Content in Information Technology, to drive local content development in the country, while stressing that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) needs of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), must be localised.
Presently, Nigeria is blessed with Information Technology (IT) experts, who are registered members of NCS both as corporate bodies and individual members.
NCS listed the corporate members to include Sidmach Technologies Ltd, Dataflex Plc, Computer Warehouse Group Plc, Data Sciences Ltd, Chams PLC,VEDA Technologies, Zinox Technologies Ltd, OMATEK Computers, BETA Computers, RLG Communications, BRIAN Integrated Systems, MainOne Cables, CBC emea, Systemspecs Ltd and many others.
President of NCS, Professor Sola Aderounmu therefore advised the federal government to patronise our local certified computer manufacturer organisations in their quest to buy 500,000 computer for the 500,000 unemployed graduates it is in the process of recruiting and deploying to schools and other sectors of the economy. “This could prove government’s sincerity of purpose, Aderounmu said, adding that the full implementation of the local content policy will definitely create more wealth, resolve the problems of unemployment and build capacity for Nigerian youths.
