The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) delivered a trenchant call to action at its December 2025 webinar, unequivocally declaring that Indigenous Software is not merely an economic preference but a strategic imperative for safeguarding Nigeria's national development and security, reports ITREALMS.
The discussions, which featured presentations from Dr. Chris Nwannenna, Dr. Adesina Adewale, and Mrs. Nihinlola Adeyemi, centered on the urgent need for Digital Sovereignty.
Dr. Nwannenna emphasized that reliance on foreign software solutions and digital infrastructure poses significant development and security risks, fundamentally undermining national survivability.
This sentiment was reinforced by Mrs. Adeyemi, who warned that dependence on foreign development encourages severe vulnerabilities, including the risk of hidden backdoors and potential conflict over data ownership, especially since foreign firms may be subject to their home countries' laws (e.g., US CLOUD Act).
Dr. Adesina Adewale focused on the pivotal role of Nigeria's demographic advantage, proclaiming the youth as the "engine room" of the nation’s technology, brimming with talent, innovation, and energy.
He stressed that this energetic and innovative demographic must be properly harnessed and guided to accelerate development, proposing a vision of a country powered by indigenous AI systems trained with Nigerian datasets and protected by local cybersecurity solutions.
Dr. Adewale urged for a policy evolution that includes a 'Patent Fast-Track' for indigenous software to ensure that Nigerian innovators don't wait years for protection, asserting, "Speed in IP registration is speed in National Development".
The key takeaway from the session was absolute: Indigenous software ensures total control to software solutions and frameworks, thereby securing critical national infrastructure, data sets, and intellectual property.
To sustain this, the communique stressed that comprehensive Capacity Building is required, urging for constructive investments in education, specialized skills training, and software research to develop a new skilled workforce that can sustain the ecosystem.
Furthermore, the Institute strongly advocated that the government and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) should lead this drive by ending discrimination against local software and implementing a "Sovereign Software First" procurement culture to ensure that indigenous software becomes the main driver of national growth.
The speakers concluded by stating that the path to a more secure Nigeria is wired with code that we write, understand, and control, making the choice today a decision between digital colonization and digital sovereignty.
ISPON affirmed its commitment to continued advocacy with the government for the mandatory adoption of indigenous software in MDAs and critical national security infrastructure.
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