…faults use of foreign IT devices for Census
The decision of the National Population Commission(NPC) to exclusively utilise foreign Information Technology(IT) devices for the execution of the national census project, has drawn the ire of the Certified Computer Manufacturers of Nigeria(CCMON).
The CCMON reacting to the move by the NPC to acquire over 800,000 foreign for the census, said the action was in breach of Executive Orders 3 and 5 issued by President Muhammadu Buhari mandating all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) to utilize at least 40 percent local devices and content in all their projects.
CCMON President, Engr. Adenike Abudu who made the Association’s position known, said the plan constitutes an affront on the FGN widely lauded local content policy and a blatant disobedience of the orders of the president.
CCMON’s position is coming on the heels of a meeting held on August 16, 2022 involving officials of the NPC, CCMON and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on the need to adhere to the president’s executive orders. NITDA and NPC had assured CCMON of their intension to strictly adhere to the government’s local content policies. At the meeting, the body of computer manufacturers was assured of a feedback on August 18, on the outcome of their deliberations.
When that feedback failed to come. CCMON in a letter to NITDA on August 29 signed by its president, Engr. Abudu and the Association’s Secretary General, Tosin Ilesanmi, noted that whilst appreciating the IT regulatory authority’s efforts on the full implementation of the local content policies, it was reminding the agency that the Federal Government of Nigeria was intentional in her desire to develop and grow the ICT sub sector of the Nigerian economy and provide jobs for the skilled but unemployed youth population in the country through the Presidential Executive Orders .
CCMON admonished NITDA that as the agency mandated to ensure that in the development and acquisition of ICT components in the country, it should insist on adherence to the Local Content Policy, which specifies that at least a minimum of 40 percent to Local/ Indigenous Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMS).
“CCMON decries this unwholesome plan by NPC and appeals to the president to put a halt to this violation of his orders and cause NPC to follow strictly his executive orders. There are NITDA certified local devices manufacturers who also have ISO 9001:2015 quality standards certified that performed excellently in previous government projects including the N-Power project managed by the Bank of Industry (BOI) and elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC)” Engr. Abudu said.
She added that members of CCMON are confident that NITDA will guide NPC appropriately in line with NITDA’s mandate, the Local Content Act and the executive orders to ensure that the census exercise is not carried out to the detriment of local content development.
“The posture and antics of NPC is unacceptable as it negates the Local Content Policy, the interest of young unemployed Nigerians and is directed at encouraging capital flight. CCMOM, believes that this is an attempt to all intents and purposes by NPC to sabotage the credible efforts of the federal government in the ICT sub sector of our economy and deprive Nigerians of their means of livelihood”, she said.
She called on the Federal Executive council (FEC), the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the NPC to prioritize thenational interest by engaging NITDA certified indigenous OEM’s.
