The Director General of the agency, Professor Cleopas Angaye said this while receiving Minister of Science and Technology at his office recently.
He said under this plan, notice of meetings, official circulars and memos should be sent electronically, beginning with those of the Federal Executives Councils, while all Ministries, Department and Agencies without a website will join soon.
Also, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies that have websites would migrate to the .ng domain and fly the Nigerian flag on the internet, while public officers will no longer use free web email addresses for passage of official information.
Disclosing this during the maiden visit of Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhier to the agency, Prof. Angaye, said that with this plan in place an official e-mail going out will have a digital signature as 'classified mail".
"Programme for the adoption of Information Technology in the Public Service is underway. The following policy statement and guidelines for IT penetration in the Public Service are contemplated by NITDA in the short term.
"All MDAs are to establish a web presence before the end of the year or by early 2008. All MDAs who already have websites should migrate to the .ng domain (and fly the Nigerian flag on the internet," he said.
"Free web email addresses shall no longer be used by public officers for official communication. Notice of meetings, official circulars and memos should be sent electronically, beginning with those of the Federal Executive Council," he added.
"To implement that, NITDA shall soon provide standard s for the authentication of all electronic documents with digital signature", he explained.
On the provision of rural internet resource centre, Prof. Angaye pointed out that NITDA has concluded plans to set up internet resources centres in all the 774 local governments of the Federation, adding that this will serve as an incubation centre for internet facilities and enable the local government chairmen to participate in IT acquisition programmes.
According to him, "this is a programme to connect 774 LGAs to the internet. The Rural Internet Resource Centres would serve as rural hubs for e-government, capacity building and training centres as well as community resources centres".
The Director-General noted that Nigeria has become a dumping ground for obsolete and substandard computer products, adding that a large build up of used electronic products that are not properly disposed or recycled.
"These have the potential of constituting grave environmental hazards in the near future. NITDA intends to embark on a national programme for electronic waste management through standardization and policy intervention, environmental impact assessment studies and stakeholders collaboration", he stated.
Responding, the Science and Technology, Minister Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhre, advised the management of the agency to look into the area of income generation to enable it fund some of its activities.
Stressing on why it is difficult to establish and sustain rural internet facilities in the local governments across the country, the Minister said that the facilities could not stay because of the insecurity of mobile connection in the communities.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Hamisu Muhammad
Quelle/Source: AllAfrica, 27.08.2007
