The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami; the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta; the President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola, among other notable Nigerians, will be discussing new e-Government strategies and policies at the Nigeria eGovernment Summit, holding in Lagos next week.
Discussions and paper presentations at the summit will address the effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy and help retool the economy for accelerated deployment, designed to boost government’s online presence.
Nami who would be joined by some of the management team from FIRS, including Dr. Zainab Gobir, is expected to deliver the keynote address.
Other keynote speakers include: Chairman, Governor’s Forum and the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Board member MTN and former Minister of Communications, Dr. Omobola Johnson; Managing Director, GMT Energy and Chairman NAHCO, Dr. Sehinde Oladapo; Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm; and Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is the host governor.
The annual Nigeria eGovernment Summit, scheduled to hold November 17 at Sheraton Hotels and Tower, Ikeja, has the theme: COVID-19: Impetus for Accelerated Adoption of eGovernment.
Different panel sessions have been lined up with sub-themes like: The Roles of Government Agencies in Advancing the National eGovernment Plan; The State of eGovernment and Critical Success Factors in Specified Countries; Positioning Telecoms Infrastructure for eGovernment Deployment; Partnering Government for Development of Sustainable eGovernment Services; Datacentre and Co-location Infrastructure as Enabler of eGovernment Deployment, among others. Each panel will he made up of panelists from relevant fields of studies and would be chaired by professionals with deep knowledge of the subject matter.
The Executive Chairman, DigiServe Network Services, and convener of the summit, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said: “We are assembling world-class technology experts and solution providers to share their experiences and showcase latest innovations applicable to eGovernment service deployment.
We are also inviting top government officials not only to learn from experts but also to share their own experience and showcase the state of eGovernment services deployment in their respective governance domains.”
According to him, the ongoing pandemic brought to the fore the significant roles technologies can play in our lives. Without much advocacy, citizens migrated a number of their daily activities online. Commerce moved online with many people now buying and selling on the internet, students now obtain lessons online, even patients are consulting with doctors online.
Ajayi said technologies have served Nigerians very well in the trying period of the pandemic in many more areas including governance, such that governments now hold cabinet meetings online and taxes are now be paid online. He however expressed his worries over the slow rate of adoption of technologies in governance.
