General News
IT and Communication Ministry Will be Focused-Uwadia
Professor Charles Uwadia is president, Nigerian Computer Society and director, Centre for Information technology and Systems, University of Lagos.
He has been a visiting Fellow to Universities and Institutions in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Italy and Australia.
Uwadia recently delved into the networking, congestion control and management aspects of information technology and has over 30 publications in both local and international journals with three books to his name.
A renowned expert, he spoke to Chike Onwuegbuchi on a wide range of issues.
Curriculum and Computer Education
Curriculum review especially in the university and polytechnic is normally handled by two bodies. For the university, you have the National University Commission (NUC), that is the regulatory body and for the polytechnic and college of technology, you have the National Board of Technical Education. Those two bodies are government agents and are charged with ensuring minimum academic standards for the universities and polytechnics. Of course, within that framework we still have to examine that of the university; we have the senate of the university. The senate of the university is in charge of academic matters and the curriculum falls within that same purview. So, you would expect that the senate of the university is entrusted with the relevance of the curriculum for the programmes. That is the structure. Now coming to the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), the NCS in partnership with Computer Professionals Registration of Nigeria (CPN) is interested in the quality of graduates that we produce for the industry. So, we also have a role to play in the curriculum. While the NUC and the NBTE would be looking at the curriculum from the academic point of view, the NCS and the CPN would be looking at the curriculum from the professional point of view. Then, you have accreditation. We already have the guidelines for the accreditation of institutions. These guidelines are being circulated to the institutions. We also have our own minimal standards for professional practice. This is also circulated to institutions. I think what is lacking for now is the political will; the wherewithal to be able to apply sanctions on institutions that fail to meet these minimum requirements. The NUC has already started doing that, 10 universities lost their accreditation; I’m not going to mention names here. In second generation universities, computer science/computer technology was instantly denied accreditation. What that means is that that institution is not supposed to admit students into that programme. What it implies is that university is deficient in that area. The curriculum is not the only criterion, we have other criteria but that is the core area. So to the question, we have school curriculum review regularly, at the NUC level, NBTE, CPN and NCS levels. It is then the duty of these institutions to ensure that there is conformity to the curriculum. What you notice is that it goes beyond just designing and reviewing the curriculum. When you review the curriculum, you also need capacity to be able to implement the curriculum. Implementation requires training of teachers to enable them teach subjects in new areas; to be able to adapt rapidly to new paradigms in programming. Newer technologies are coming up, teachers also need to be carried along and somebody must provide that. We need to equip the labs as new platforms are needed to teach new technologies. It then takes us back to the issue of funding. We would require funds to implement curriculum review. One of the areas of implementing curriculum review is to go into some kind of partnership with institutions abroad where you can source capacity building.
Proposed ICT Ministry
I think it will go a long way. At least, it will be better than where we are coming from. It is not the ultimate. The ultimate which is practically what we asked for, which is found in some countries that place IT at a high pedestal is to have a Ministry of Information Technology. That is actually what we demanded for. But the proposed ministry is the ministry of IT and Communication which is not a bad idea because of the convergence between computing and telecoms. So, it is not a bad idea because in that ministry you have agencies and commissions that can work together; NITDA, NCC, CPN. The Ministry of Information will just remain an organ for the propagation of government’s information. The proposed ministry of IT and Communications will be a more focused ministry than the structure we have now. That is our expectation.
Patronage of Locally Made Software
Well, yes we can assist in monitoring the patronage of locally made software. We have actually asked our member companies to be on alert and monitor software so we can engage graduates. You see, having a policy is one matter and implementing it is another matter. What you actually find is that some of the agencies do not even know about the quality of these softwares. We see adverts that were put out requesting for some quantities of locally produced software. When we see such adverts, what we do is to get in touch with the ministry or agency, show them a copy of the publication and usually, they find them attractive. Having said that, what could be disturbing would be a situation whereby ministries or agencies that are aware still go abroad and source software that have equivalents here in the local market. When we get that of course, we take it up; we have one or two cases that we are currently pursuing. I’m not saying that the government has been supportive because when this comes to our attention, all we do is to bring it to the attention of the Head of Service and it can be taken up from there.
Certification of Local Software
You should note that the private sector is at liberty to source for software from any outlet as government policies may not affect them much. We should not talk about the issue of quality and standards because some of our software meet international standard and yet, they are not patronized. It is not just the issue of quality and standard. Don’t forget that some of these companies we talked about, their interests lie outside the country, so they are not under any obligation to patronize made in Nigeria software even when these software have been proven to the world. If you have a bank that has a chairman from the U.S, he might just decide to source for software from there. There are quite a number of undertones when it comes to sourcing for software. We all know why in some situations people source for them abroad even they are here. I think we need to continue to sensitize people and make the industry aware of software that are available here and their quality. We continue to engage our local producers; nobody is asking for anything less than the international standard. Nobody is talking about the Nigerian standard-we are in the global market now thus, local software developers need to be given a chance; they need all the encouragement to continue to be in the industry. Don’t forget that the more patronage you have, the more you are encouraged. Even the cheaper the software becomes eventually and you would be able to attain the level of big developers. We are not saying that quality or standards should be compromised, we continue to encourage our members to do things to global standards.
NCS and Exhibition of Local Software
We actually have these fora and we need to project our local developers more. The developers’ club summit sponsored by Microsoft brings developers together but only those using Microsoft tools to develop. That Microsoft is sponsoring does not necessarily mean that the outcome of such a venture is not local; the software summit sponsored by Microsoft brings together local developers and maybe others too, who use Microsoft development platform. What we are trying to do in the coming year is to see if we can get companies that support other platforms too. We are already talking to Oracle, Linux Group and others so that they can also organize fora on alternative development platforms and not just Microsoft platform. Besides that, we also have a software exhibition forum. Unfortunately, we could not hold that last year due to some hiccups but we are planning on this year as from August. We are already working on it; a committee is looking into that and that will bring exhibitors of various backgrounds together, to showcase what they have to the rest of the world. That will be termed ‘Nigeria Software Exhibition’. Note that the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) also organizes fora and exhibitions for hardware products. I think one of the things you would love to see is something of a big magnitude that will bring software, hardware together-an all inclusive exhibition of Nigerian initiative. We are working on that.
Formulation of IT Policy
The situation now is that the draft policy has been submitted precisely two Fridays ago. It is still a draft; I guess it still has some way to go. You see, when you talk about the process; making it an all inclusive thing, getting people involved, you still find out that people don’t react to certain things. The stakeholders’ fora in Abuja and Lagos were advertised and opportunities were given to people to make their inputs, pass their comments and I am certain that they did. I participated and know how it went; some people were aggrieved no doubt. Having said that, we advised NITDA to please take a step further and send the document to the ministries and the agencies, so that no one claims ignorance. IT policy is a very important document and should not be one mulled in any form of controversy. As it is, I believe people can still make inputs. It is not yet in form of a bill going to the National Assembly.
By Tim Akano
Leo Stan Ekeh (LSE) is an extraordinary human being. He is extremely hardworking, hugely brave, and massively intelligent. He is a shrewd businessman but with a cathedral-size heart of butterfly
Leo Stan Ekeh
I’m a product of LSE’s generosity. But not only me, I am close enough to know. We are uncountable.
I was always with him after office hours in his office twenty years ago when he was constructing a church in his place of birth. He was so committed to details and beauty that when the church was roofed and he went for inspection and discovered some misalignment, he instructed the contractor to remove the roof and redo it, without minding the extra cost coming from his pocket.
There was this physically challenged fellow that LSE bought a car for, including a driver to make life easier for her.
During one of his birthday celebrations, he told me, Tim, I am not inviting my friends for any birthday party this year, all the money I would have used in buying expensive wine, I am donating everything to charity
LSE & I
He actually looked for me when I started New Horizons. He read my interview in the Vanguard news paper and asked his staff to look for me.
Prayer:
May each of us receive a telephone call before the end of 2025 that will change our life’s trajectory for good for ever in Jesus name, Amen.
I did.!
Our conversation on that fateful Friday went like this:
LSE: Tim, I read your interview in the newspaper. I would like us to meet.
Tim: You are our LEADER in the Technology ecosystem, Sir.
I can come to your house tomorrow Saturday morning for a breakfast.
LSE: Tim, that’s good, I will be expecting you by 8am tomorrow in my house.
By 8am the following day, I was in his massive, intimidating house.
As I entered the premises I said a simple prayer: The God Almighty who is blessing LSE, please Daddy God be kind to me also in my entrepreneurship journey Amen.
That day the breakfast meeting went well. He wanted to see the man behind the ambitious vision of transforming the ICT education in Nigeria.
He saw tomorrow!
1 LSE First Intervention: Two years after I started my company, New Horizons, I ran out of cash, even to pay salary was a prayer item every 30th of the month. That was May, 2007 it remained just 72 hours for Heaven to fall on my head, metaphorically speaking, that is!
I needed N10M to stop HEAVEN FROM CRASHING ON MY HEAD!
Banks in Nigeria are irrelevant to Start-ups, except and until you START WALKING, Banks will not come to your assistance in Nigeria.
It is O.Y.O (On Your Own) for every Start-up. If you don’t have God 100% on your side, don’t dabble into entrepreneurship in Nigeria!
This is why over 80% of Start-ups failed in Nigeria. In America, it is about 50%.
LSE was in Abuja on this particular Thursday. I called him and requested to see him. He told me to come.
Our conversation went like this:
LSE: Tim, I know you are keeping well.
Tim: My chairman, I am strong in faith, but in reality, heaven is hot on my side o! I need help, Chairman.
LSE: What is the matter, Tim?
Tim: I need N10M soft loan to keep afloat. It is urgent, critical and time- bound.
LSE ok, Tim, see me on Monday (that meeting took place on a Thursday).
Tim: My chairman, I am not exaggerating the criticality of my situation. by Monday it would be too late because Heaven would crash on my head in another 72 hours without the N10M! And it would be all over.
LSE adjusted himself, he breathed in , he looked me straight in the eyes. I wouldn’t know what LSE saw in my eyes that day.
But he stood up, went to the inner room and he came out with his cheque book. He gave me an Access Bank cheque for N10M, which I later refunded 3 months later without interest.
I survived, heaven didn’t fall that day, glory be to God and thanks to LSE.
LSE intervention 2:
This time we had grown, having survived the ABIKU YEARS (The first 5 years of Start-up are the ABIKU YEARS, years of premature, sudden death. If you survive the first 5 years, your chances of living to celebrate your 20 years in business are bright). We did, all gratitude to God.
I got a business that required huge capital to execute- very big money, which was beyond my capacity.
I went to my destiny- helper again. He is never tired of seeing me. He picks my calls on the first ring. But I don’t abuse the access too. No frivolous conversations. No irrelevant calls. Every call is about matter and mission critical
This particular day LSE was looking extremely tired, having over flogged his body.
He told me he had been sleeping in the office for about 3 days, busy putting his papers together to enable him close a massive business deal, which he eventually got, after fighting like a lion whose cub was taken by a lone leopard!
LSE overwhelmed every opposition. He fought like Mohammed Alli, the world’s greatest boxer of all time. LSE won.
And that changed everything for him, too, forever. Fortune favours the Brave
Our conversation that day went like this:
LSE: Tim, congrats you are doing well, I can see. Indeed I instructed all my staff to make sure they read any article you published (“I felt flattered”).
Tim: Chairman, I need your help, KONGA is not ready to give me the products I needed on credit and I don’t have cash to pay and the client will not pay me until after 9 months.
Tough one, indeed.
LSE: Tim, I will be honest with you, there is no way KONGA would give you products worth N500M (10 years ago money!) on credit.
Indeed, we held a meeting on Monday over your matter, the resolution of the Zinox Group is that you must look for cash before you can get the products. Let me tell you, my staff made me to sign-off on our resolution that as the Chairman of Zinox , I, LSE will not go behind to do the opposite of what we all agreed to, and I signed. Tim, I am sorry, my hands are tied!
As of that time, some of the young people LSE helped disappointed him badly. So bad, some souls are ungrateful.
Tim: Chairman, I know some of the people you helped even went to the extent of wrongfully blackmailing you in the media. I know that for a fact.
But Chairman, I am different. I am Tim Akano, I won’t disappoint you.
I will remain eternally grateful if you can still think out- of -the box and help me out.
I added: Chairman, you recall you were the one who looked for me that you would give me a helping hand in life.
I think my last statement touched him.
LSE Tim, I will give you my personal cheque. Here is the cheque for you, take it to KONGA and pay for your goods to meet your deadline.
Tim On getting to KONGA, from my steps and tone, the staff knew something positive had happened.
I confidently presented my cheque to Loretta & Co, the lady managing our account in KONGA then
They were shell shocked that God pulled it through for me another time, using Leo Stan Ekeh.
There were many more positive interventions, which I will reserve for my memoir.
Lessons: The reason behind the rise and rise of Leo Stan Ekeh (LSE) has to do partly because of his massive generosity, most of them are done silently.
Yes, LSE is a shrewd businessman, but he has a heart of a butterfly.
2 LSE is unconquerable and himself and his lineage will remain so because of several lives he has impacted positively
3 We are all products of people’s generosity. No one is a self-made man. In my own corner, through the TIM AKANO FOUNDATION, I am giving back in thousands folds all the kindness I am enjoying from people like LSE & others. I’m not withholding any kindness from people who need it when it’s within my capacity. God saw my heart, too, that when he must have helped me to stand, I will light thousands of candles.
It was William Shakespeare who admonished his followers to tell him all the good things they wanted to tell him while he was still alive because tributes written in beautiful prose means nothing to a dead person.
I congratulate LSE children, they have a great father in and his legendary generosity will always speak for them up to the 4th generation., as the Holy Bible said. LSE children should be proud of their father, he is a Lion, an Eagle and a butterfly, (LEB) all together at the same time.
@LSE: Sir, if you manage to read this short public appreciation, which I was inspired to write in a wedding event (the couple is taking over one hour to come out, instead of joining people who are anxious, I decided to use my idle time to pay you this tribute today), I want you to feel proud of yourself; what you have achieved will take an average person 10 lifetimes to achieve.
Your positive numerous interventions in my entrepreneurship journey have germinated and I am also touching lives- like you- in thousands across Africa, not only in Nigeria, especially with regards to Youth Empowerment.
I am eternally grateful, my chairman, my destiny-helper.
My prayer for you my Chairman, LSE: The Lion, the Eagle, the Butterfly (LEB) is for God to keep you continuously in sound, divine health, peace and happiness- that you will still remain strong at 120 years of age like the Biblical Moses who miraculously escaped physical depreciation in his eyes, strength and mental magnitude.🙏
Gratitude!
Gratitude!!
Gratitude!!!
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has clinched three prestigious Service Compact with All Nigerians (SERVICOM) awards at the annual Ministry, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) Awards ceremony, earning acclaim for its outstanding citizen-centred service delivery.
NITDA
The honours spotlight NITDA’s leadership in digital transformation and efficient public service, as evaluated by SERVICOM on key benchmarks of timeliness, transparency, and customer satisfaction.
NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, received a personal commendation plaque during the event, recognising his unwavering support and commitment to prioritising citizens in agency operations.
The agency also secured a Special Recognition Award from the SERVICOM Office, celebrating its sustained initiatives to bridge government and citizens through high-quality service delivery.
In a further mark of excellence, NITDA was named the 2nd Best Performing Public Service Unit (PSU) Team B within the competitive MDAs category.
SERVICOM Framework Drives Public Service Reforms
SERVICOM, established to enhance service quality across Nigerian public institutions, assesses MDAs based on rigorous standards that ensure responsiveness to public needs.
NITDA’s triple honours reflect its strategic focus on leveraging technology to streamline services, foster accountability, and promote inclusive digital governance.
The awards align with broader federal efforts to reposition public service delivery amid Nigeria’s push for digital economy growth.
NITDA’s Digital Leadership Under Spotlight
Since its establishment, NITDA has spearheaded national ICT policies, infrastructure development, and capacity building, positioning Nigeria as an emerging digital hub.
The agency’s SERVICOM success underscores effective implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030), enhancing e-government services and citizen engagement.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi’s leadership has been pivotal in initiatives like the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, alongside partnerships driving broadband expansion and cybersecurity.
These recognitions come amid NITDA’s ongoing campaigns for data localisation, digital skills training, and startup ecosystem support.
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has secured enforceable compliance from Ikeja Electric Plc, leading to the unsealing of the electricity distributor’s headquarters after regulatory intervention over consumer rights violations.
Ikeja Electric
The Commission had sealed the company’s headquarters on December 11, 2025, following its failure to comply with a directive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to unbundle a Maximum Demand account into 20 individual accounts for a customer who had remained without electricity for more than two and a half years.
Following the enforcement action, Ikeja Electric entered into a binding undertaking with the FCCPC, committing to resolve all consumer complaints referred to it by the Commission within agreed timelines.
The FCCPC warned that any breach of the undertaking would trigger renewed and escalated enforcement under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA).
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, said the intervention underscores the Commission’s resolve to protect consumers and enforce regulatory decisions.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that consumers are treated fairly and that service providers comply with lawful decisions and directives. Enforcement is not an end in itself. Where compliance is achieved and credible commitments are made, the Commission will respond appropriately,” Bello said.
He added that the resolution reflects a firm but balanced regulatory approach.
“We intervene decisively where consumer harm persists, and we de-escalate where enforceable compliance is secured. What remains constant is our duty to protect consumers and uphold regulatory accountability,” he said.
The FCCPC said the outcome sends a clear signal that consumer rights violations will attract decisive regulatory action, while companies that demonstrate genuine compliance will receive proportionate responses.
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