The former Federal Permanent Secretary and pioneer administrator of Nigeria’s .ng domain, Dr. Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, has warned that Nigeria risks becoming a “digital colony” if stakeholders fail to align and synergise in building a unified Information Technology (IT) ecosystem, reports ITREALMS.
“Our ecosystem is rich, but richness without alignment produces waste, not wealth,” she declared, emphasising that progress in IT depends on collective vision, not isolated brilliance.
Odusote, who was the pioneer Director of IT at the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications and a member of NITDA’s first board, stressed the need for shared infrastructure like broadband and national digital identity, shared standards in data governance and interoperability, and shared capacity through co-designed curricula to equip youth for future jobs.
According to her, a properly harnessed IT ecosystem would not only catalyse job creation and improve governance but also safeguard Nigeria’s data sovereignty and firmly position the country as Africa’s digital leader.
She called for a permanent multi-stakeholder roundtable, with quarterly alignment meetings and joint accountability metrics, to ensure that outcomes are measured in shared national progress rather than isolated reports.
“The future will not wait for Nigeria. Nigeria cannot afford to wait. The time is now. The responsibility is ours,” Odusote concluded to resounding applause.
Correspondent/Editor
1 comment:
Shared infrastructure, stronger data governance, and collaborative capacity-building are exactly the kind of measures that will safeguard sovereignty and secure Nigeria’s place as a digital leader in Africa.
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