However, what is not currently clear is: will Yar’ Adua’s government automate the functions and activities at the Executive, Legislature, Judiciary and Civil Service levels? Going by his pro-transparency and accountability campaign agenda, coupled with his post-election assurances on zero-tolerance for corruption, one should assume that Information Technology will be enthrone as the topmost priority instrument for our national development. The above assumption is based on a well researched fact that no serious government can function effectively and be productive without the intensive application of IT.
Indeed, a president capable of applying a cell-phone to accomplish government and/or personal duties, should not have any problem in applying a personal computer (PC) or Laptop for the same purpose. Therefore, IT professionals expect government processes under Yar’ Adua to be automated at least at the e-task, e-messages, e-workflow, e-appointment, e-alert and e-document levels.
For Yar’ Adua’s government to be efficient, productive, succeed and be sustained within the context of global competitiveness, it is critically imperative to appoint a professional IT Special Adviser to the President and indeed establish a Ministry of Information Technology.
As the Information Technology Revolution and convergence of knowledge proceeds at almost the speed of light, government will have to derive new means and strategies for productive govenrnance,
Knowledge (K) is not only the fundamental raw material, industry, product, institution and service (all-in-one) attributes for national development and creation of wealth; it is indeed the prime factor for effective, organised, productive and sustainable human existence.
There has been much talk about the emerging new world built around the concept of globalization and technology. What we have not started talking about as a nation is how to prepare to fully engage the emerging new knowledge society. It is pertinent to emphasize that knowledge will remain perhaps the (most critical factor) “social continuum” that will define the course of work and productivity in our lives.
Today, a national reconstruction is desirable, using education, science and technology conduit as a basis for incubating a knowledge-based society, where fairness, accountability, transparent justice and equity are enthroned and merit abundantly rewarded.
There is need to evolve a society where machines and simple but logic systems are domesticated and efficiently put to work. We would require abundant courage and foresight to pull this off and get Nigeria where it rightly belongs - the comity of first-class knowledge nations! This profile can no longer be wished in today’s world, it must be earned and seen to be earned!
I am sure that the President-elect is aware of the fact that relevant studies show that each of the emerging leading industries of the future will be built on the foundation of brain capacity - and any one of them can be replicated and operationalized anywhere in the universe! In other words, the comparative advantage of nations this century, will be entirely based on human knowledge creation. A classical example of this experience is Microsoft Corporations - who has earned more money (through Software knowledge production) in 25 years that what General Motors earned in 100 years! Nigeria can harness the potentials of her human capital to earn and save much more foreign exchange (and create wealth) than what she currently earn from crude oil.
The way forward: First, apart from appointing a Special IT Adviser to the President, the President-elect and all his emerging cabinet and indeed all members of the National Executive Council will require a one day, well structured hand-on IT Retreat - the Computer Professional Council of Nigeria (CPN) and the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) should be consulted and will be willing and ready to support. Deploy more resources into IT development at all levels.
The information system of the energy sector must be fully automated, if we must attain the target of uninterruptible power supply With the advent of Internet 2, we are gradually leaving the ICTs world behind (where “communication” will be a ‘given’ and ‘connectivity’ a permanent feature of life) and entering the era of IKTs - Information and Knowledge Technologies!
Autor(en)/Author(s): Chris Uwaje
Quelle/Source: Vanguard, 09.05.2007
