A governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Prof. Adeolu Akande, has described President Muhamadu Buhari as Nigeria’s leader with the most impactful tenure in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) penetration in the country.
The expert said the President’s initiatives will put the country in a strong footing to earn enormous revenue from the ICT sector, provide jobs for millions of youths and create wealth for Nigerians.
He was addressing members of youth organisations from various parts of the state when they visited him in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to advise him against joining the African Democratic Coalition (ADC).
Akande, who is the Chairman of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said President Buhari had supported the agency to record tremendous achievements in ICT development.
The expert said no President in the history of Nigeria had been as supportive of NITDA and ICT development as President Buhari.
He thanked the youths for their advice on the party to choose to pursue his ambition, adding that consultations were ongoing on the matter.
According to him, the decision will be taken collectively by stakeholders who view political parties as platforms for development.
Akande noted that politics is about service to the people rather than personal aggrandisement.
The expert said this was evident in the achievements of President Buhari in the ICT sector.
He listed some of the President’s initiatives in the sector to include the presidential approval for NITDA as the clearing house of Federal Government’s ICT projects.
Akande said this had enhanced quality in service delivery and value for money as well as the National Agriculture e-project, a collaboration between NITDA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to make datasets of the Nigerian Agriculture sector readily available to stakeholders.
He also listed the provision of virtual library in tertiary institutions to enhance research and make Nigerian institutions competitive in research and development.
Akande said the facility had been installed at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.
He added: “NITDA also provides basic ICT facilities and internet connectivity primarily to schools and similar environments where teaching and learning take place. This involves the deployment of a network of internet connectivity, computing devices and related ICT Infrastructure including alternative solar power energy in the school community capable of giving uninterrupted access to Internet services.
“Already, 77 schools have been provided with the facility. Another 85 schools have been provided with Digital Capacity Building Centres across the country.”