Pat Stevens/
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has justified the necessity and significance of the re-designation of the Federal Ministry of Communications as Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMoCDE) in October last year by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Pantami explained this on Friday at a media parley and press briefing in Abuja.
The briefing was attended by chief executive officers and management staff of the FMoCDE and its agencies, including Engr. Ubale Maska, NCC’s Executive Commissioner Technical Services, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta; Mr. Adeleke Adewolu, NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management; Dr. Abimbola Alale, Managing Director of Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited; Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi, Chairman, Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) and Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone Limited.
The Minister explained that the re-designation was done to position Nigeria for the gains of digital economy, noting that the term, ‘communications’ captured just the channels, hence, had become inadequate in capturing the new mandate and vision of the ministry.
According to the Minister, the new vision of the ministry embraces the content, as well as the utilisation of both channel and content to achieve the central focus of migrating the nation to a digital economy.
Pantami said this is particularly significant as it enables Information and Communication Technology (ICT) – which is the most diverse and fastest growing sector – to mobilise other sectors and align with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the Federal Government.
The Minister said this is quite fitting, as it also ensures that the name of the ministry captures its objective in keeping with best global practices.
Following the re-designation, the Minister stated that the Federal Government directed the ministry to develop and implement a national digital economy strategy. This, he said, was done by the Ministry and unveiled by the President at the e-Nigeria Conference in November 2019.
Pantami said the policy captures the thematic focus while the strategy speaks to how the various themes will be achieved.
Speaking further, Pantami declared that all other MDAs are connected to the strategy in view of the centrality of ICT to development in other sectors of the economy, emphasising that the role of the ministry is to coordinate the implementation of the policy and the strategy.
While stating that the implementation of the strategy had started, he stressed that by the end of the decade, the Federal Government expects every Nigerian to have connected with and expressed the goal of digital Nigeria by being computer literate, owning a digital device, having access to the Internet, and owning a bank account that can be accessed and operated digitally and online.
But beyond financial services, the Minister said the Federal Government hopes to see majority of the citizens undertake many other activities electronically.
In this context, the Minister envisioned that Nigeria will explore in quantifiable terms, cloud computing, nanotechnology, Fifth Generation (5G) communications, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, adding that with the deployment of and access to 5G, virtual surgery is possible in Nigeria.
He equally emphasised that digital innovation and digital entrepreneurship are particularly important in ensuring increase in Nigeria’s GDP.
He made a comparison between Nigeria and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by stating that Nigeria’s GDP is $397 billion while MIT’s GDP is about five times higher. He attributed the disparity largely to inputs of digital innovation and entrepreneurship.
Thus, the Minister declared that certificates are important when spiced with skills because that will trigger innovation. To demonstrate the paradigm shift to skills rather than mere certification, Pantami said China is at the threshold of “converting 600 universities to skills centres” having realised that skills validate certificates.
The Minister, however, explained that Nigeria is so blessed and needs to leverage that potential to ensure her teaming youths acquire enduring “skills that will make them to be potential employers rather than potential employees”.
It was evident the Minister looked forward very enthusiastically to seeing more Nigerians use the social media to support the digital economy by engaging it to achieve legitimate economic prosperity rather than for the promotion of division and hatred among the people of Nigeria.
“Let us use our skills positively to promote digital economy because the World Economic Forum (WEF) has predicted that by 2022, 60 percent of the world economy will be digital,” he added.
The Minister also disclosed that since 25th September 2019, no Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card has been used in Nigeria without being properly registered.
“You may buy a SIM card but you cannot activate it to use unless it has been properly registered, and NCC will provide biodata of any improperly-used SIM card to the police or other security agencies within 24 hours whenever it is required,” he noted.
Pantami was emphatic that the Federal Government’s directive to NCC to ensure that improperly registered SIM cards are blocked, demonstrated government’s commitment to further strengthen ongoing efforts at securing lives and property in the country.
“Life is more important than material benefits of having many SIM cards in circulation, and in any case, blocking improperly registered SIM cards did not diminish the contribution of ICT to GDP,” he stressed, explaining to journalists that the Ministry was, in addition, auditing bulk spectrum allocation for validation and propriety. He noted that the exercise is not really an inquisition as earlier bandied by certain interests.
On the challenges of the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST), the Minister stated that the ministry has made representation to the Federal Government to insist that NIPOST should be the collector of stamp duty and not the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and by implication the Federal Ministry of Finance.
“So, we have challenged the status quo about the collection of stamp duty,” he said.
The Minister also unveiled the plan for the transformation of NIPOST with regard to undertaking a total restructuring and transformation of the organisation.
“We will also commercialise some activities of the organisation by registering few companies to ensure the renovation and commercialisation of dilapidated NIPOST structure all over the country starting with NIPOST facilities in major cities.” he explained.
0