Ben-Obi: Garlands for Excellence, Philanthropy 

The Group Lead, Digital and Innovation Support Group at the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS, Mrs. Chiaka Ben-Obi is one tech amazon that continues to break the status quo to create positive outcomes in the country. With her recent recognition as One In Tech Foundation Leadership Award recipient powered by ISACA Abuja, she is equipping the female child across the nation with coding skills amongst a host of others. Write Rebecca Ejifoma and Maduabuchi Ubani 

When it comes to individuals who have shown consistency in making igniting impacts for youths and the girl child to put their best foot forward around STEM education, the Group Lead, Digital and Innovation Support Group at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs. Chiaka Ben-Obi remains a shining light and role model. 

Ben-Obi’s intentions have been described as noble as they are crystal. It is to create the change she craves to see; lead the way as an individual of impact and leave a lasting legacy that generations to come will be grateful for.

Hence, her continuous philanthropic acts and generosity across the board to positively affect lives is one of the reasons she was recognised with the One In Tech Foundation Leadership Award by the ISACA Abuja Chapter at the ISACA Abuja Award Dinner noght 2022.

This is because ISACA Abuja Chapter is on a mission to foster the education of individuals for the improvement and development of their capabilities and competencies building a pipeline of the next-gen of digital professionals, helping the government bridge the gap in digital inequality while recognising honest efforts. And Ben-Obi is a fit.

These were the words of ISACA Abuja Chapter President, Mr Emmanuel Omoke, who hailed Ben-Obi as a notable personality that is making the institute and the nation proud.

Hence, the institute saw the need to award her. “She is using her office as the Group Lead, FIRS Digital and Innovation Support Group to promote STEM education by providing the enabling environment for individuals, corporate bodies and stakeholders in the technology space that can come together and build alliances that would foster digital literacy across communities,” says Omoke.

Portfolio

As someone who exudes excellence, Ben-Obi is at the helm of affairs as the Group Lead, Digital and Innovation Support Group of the FIRS, where she oversees a couple of departments with the responsibility of transforming FIRS into a digitalised organisation.

It is no gainsaying that Ben-Obi’s resumé makes no noise. She holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. She also bagged an MBA from the University of Hull, United Kingdom; a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Systems Development from London Guildhall University, United Kingdom; and an alumnus of the Lagos Business School.

Upon completion of her MBA, she started a Master’s Programme in Information System Development. Since then, she has been in tech in many capacities in the private sector, cutting across industries, before joining the public sector.

She was the Director of the Modernisation Department, with the overall responsibility of delivering the modernisation agenda projects, aimed at transforming FIRS into a modern, efficient and effective tax administration agency. 

In the last three years, Ben-Obi has been very intentional in helping children get engaged with the ever-evolving world of digital literacy. This she has done by working with an organisation that trains children across communities to start early in leveraging the abundant windows in technology. 

Importance of Coding

While conceding that there is an ever-growing need to help young people learn skills that will undeniably position the girl-child for better opportunities, Ben-Obi is not backing down in her quest to help the spread of digital literacy across communities.

Creating Opportunities for Others

Interestingly, the FIRS Group Lead boss believes that soft skills like communication, collaboration, leadership, strategy and even critical thinking among other hands-on skills have proven results in raising well-rounded children who are poised to solve some of the challenges within their communities. These skills hover around technology and the tremendous possibilities it presents to children of this generation and beyond.

While it has become a common sight to see children from humble backgrounds or even underserved communities who have become global individuals of impact and influence all because they were exposed to technology education at an early age in life, many of these kids have gone on to compete with their counterparts on a global scale were able to do so due to the sponsorship they received from platforms or individuals who stand in the gap.

Today, Chiaka is actively involved in the summer coding class for children, powered by the ISACA Abuja Chapter. This is because of the vast benefits that coding holds. 

According to research, coding develops problem-solving skills. This could help children learn to quickly fix and try again in different ways when something doesn’t work out. Coding also equips kids with the ability to stick with a problem and work on finding a solution. This problem-solving technique is transferable to a lot of other fields.

More so, coding can help one to understand technology. It enhances problem-solving skills and can be applied to data visualisation. Today, coding is a universal language and can improve career prospects. 

Indeed, having set out to change the narrative for the girl-child, Ben-Obi isn’t backing down any time soon. Her passion to make a true and measurable impact while setting the agenda is her core mandate. As a true leader, this remains one of her contributions to substantive improvement for every girl child across the nation.