Nigeria to Save N5Bn From Penetration of Indigenous Software Products Services

Nigeria is to save a whooping N5billion annually derivable from the penetration of indigenous software products services by embracing the use of the recently launched NigcomSat – IR, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can report.
Engr. Tiamasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, managing director, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited said use of  NigComSat-1R will help achieve the e-Park project and other ICT instruments of revolution in the nation’s economy through e-education by deploying multimedia education services to all the 774 local government areas of the country.
Rufai said NigComSat-1R remains the cornerstone for universal access and bedrock for ICT development, backbone for social, political and economic re-engineering in Nigeria and Africa in general.
Among other projects to be gained from NigComSat-1R include the e-library project aimed at facilitating access to e-education through its e-library project. Study materials will be made available to about 78 universities in the country via the e-library project, expected to take off in June 2012.
He stated that “the reality of the 21st century is the pervasiveness of information and communication technology (ICT) in all sphere of human life and explained that modern technology today has presented a new and better way of operations in all ramifications”.
Comparing the usefulness of ICT amongst nations, he said India has leveraged ICT opportunity by investing hugely on ICT in education. He said today, revenue from IT sector in India for the years 2009 and 2010 stood at USD105.4 billion which is 82 per cent higher than what Nigeria generates in non oil revenue for the same period (USD 86.14 billion).
He stated that interventions such as e-Park, which is aimed at serving as skill acquisition, Centre, ICT training centre, application development centre and subsidized cyber café will accelerate the level of learning.
The project targets creation of over 1,935,000 IT Professionals from the 774 local government areas in the country within the next five years.
The NigComSat-1R Secondary School net is another project for 10- selected secondary schools to be connected to a central point to enhance virtual campuses from remote locations of the country.
The national integration community service centre (NICISC) is another important project from NigComSat -1R aimed at facilitating the establishment of electronic public information centres across the country.
Comrade Dauda Mohammed, president, National Association Nigerian Students  (NANS) stated that the intention of NANS is to encourage the federal government, corporate organization to invest massively in technological and ICT driven innovations for overall speedy development of Nigeria.
Mohammed said “we also intend to strengthen existing institutions in the sector towards meeting the desired impact ICT can create in a developing nation as ours”.
Engr. Jide Adeniji, the President, National Association Nigerian Students (NANS) said the transformation agenda of the President of the federal Republic of Nigeria would not be achieved without a robust ICT infrastructure.