By Job Osazuwa
Founder of Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), Prof. Pat Utomi, yesterday, in Lagos, has said quality education is what Nigeria needs to transform its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.
Utomi said the world’s economy is ICT-driven, hence, Nigeria can not continue to occupy the back bench.
He called for a strong political will and collective efforts to exploit the untapped industry.
Utomi, an economist, disclosed this at a leadership tribute colloquium organised by CVL in honour of former minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Chief Don Etiebet on his 73rd birthday.
He stressed that the world has become volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, but more prosperous when ICT is fully utilised and also, explained that technology-based economy raises productivity, enhances creative and values creation. “I feel honoured to have encountered this technology and to have been active in the creation of Nigeria’s first internet service provider, Linkserve, which moved the country into the internet age…” he said.
This technology still has room to help us leapfrog and offer a better life for Nigerians and generations yet unborn,” Utomi said.
Etiebet, while thanking the organisers and guests for the honour bestowed on him, said Nigeria has recorded some level of success in driving the ICT industry, though in a slow pace.
He recalled how many civil servants and others, some decades ago, rejected the introduction of computer to aid their job delivery. He said some of the then protesters embarked on strike while others committed arson, on the ground that the computer was about to take over their jobs.
The celebrator said the evolution of both the soft and hardwares have been tremendous, and urged government and other stakeholders in the sector to develop young Nigerians in coding to drive ICT to the next level.