•Nigeria must take its digital destiny in its own hands
The recent call by the President of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), Professor Sola Adorounmu, to the Federal Government not to outsource the country’s national information technology security is a welcome one.
Explaining that no nation willingly gave up its advantages to others, the NCS president warned that Nigeria would remain a “digital colony” of more advanced nations if it did not take measures to ensure that its national security is protected and managed by indigenous IT professionals.
Given the scope and depth of the security challenges that have beset Nigeria within recent years, there is little doubt that victory in the campaign against insurgency, militancy and inter-communal unrest can only be facilitated when Nigerians themselves are in control of tactics and strategy.
In the particular case of information technology, the need to reduce outsourcing to the barest minimum is only too apparent. Vital infrastructure such as power stations, dams, airports, seaports, highways and surveillance systems no longer exist as stand-alone entities. They can now be integrated into a seamless network that can be remotely manipulated and controlled. It is vital that such potentially destructive capacity be kept in Nigerian, rather than foreign, hands.
The real issue, however, is how to ensure that the ideal of a fully-Nigerian IT security infrastructure is achieved. The country does not lack the personnel or institutions that are necessary, but over the years, its efforts have been hindered by several obstacles, many of them self-inflicted.
Perhaps the biggest deterrent has been the failure of Nigeria’s ambitious satellite programme to live up to expectations. It was expected that the launch of the NigComSat series of satellites would open up a host of technological benefits, not least the enormous expansion of bandwidth and a subsequent growth in telemedicine, e-commerce, online education and other applications.
The consequence has been that the country has had to rely on the relatively expensive bandwidth provided by private companies. Thus, the spread of IT technology has been much slower than it would otherwise have been.
Another problem has been the lack of deliberate attempts to promote the emergence of indigenous technology firms with the capacity to handle the country’s IT needs. Far too many businesses in the technology sector limit themselves to sales, consulting and maintenance of IT equipment because they know that big clients routinely prefer foreign IT solutions to their own.
In contrast, countries like China, India and South Korea have embarked on the aggressive promotion of IT sectors spearheaded by national champions which can compete effectively with the best from western nations. This strategy has paid off in the emergence of companies whose products and services are second to none.
Rather than use IT to promote development, Nigeria’s recent history has shown that it has in fact become one of the many channels for corrupt enrichment. The Galaxy Backbone scandal of the Obasanjo era and the Abuja CCTV mess are only two of the better-known examples.
If Nigeria wishes to properly secure its IT security, it will have to commit to a notion of technological patriotism. Made-in-Nigeria computers and other equipment must be given priority over imported brands. Indigenous professionals must be empowered to compete on a level playing-field when bidding for significant contracts. Greater attention must be paid to reducing the cost of bandwidth, devices, consumables and training, all of which are vital to sustaining the take-off of a viable IT industry.
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