The annual CPN Information Technology Professionals’ Assembly is a yearly gathering of Information Technology practitioners in Nigeria and Diaspora with the objective of discussing and strategizing on emergent issues in order to come out with recommendations and decisions that will impact positively on the industry and the nation.
The theme for this year’s CPN IT Assembly held in Abuja recently was “Leveraging Information Technology for National Security and Economic Stability”.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), delivered the keynote address.
In his address to the conference participants, Mr. Kole Jagun, President/Chairman of CPN Council, said the theme was carefully selected “because of the serious role which Information and Communication Technology can play at this critical time when the whole world is facing enormous challenges in the area of cyber security, national security and socio-economic development.
“It has become crystal clear that based on the current global trends, there is need to maintain a high level of national security and economic stability.
“We are faced with enormous and daunting security challenges that require that we come up with new strategies and solutions”, Jagun explained.
He added that such novel solutions can only come with the proper deployment of Information Technology tools.
“In Nigeria today, we are faced with multifaceted challenges of youth restiveness, non-traditional Military Warfare, Cybercrime, Banditry, Kidnapping and many other crimes.
“Additionally, Covid 19 pandemic further worsened the economic situation of the country because the lockdown period significantly constrained economic activities in the country and lowered the income of individuals as well as that of Government thereby creating an unprecedented depression in the country”, the CPN President/Chairman of Council said.
Here are the eight (8) key (recommendations) takeaways from the CPN IT Professionals Assembly 2022:
1. There is need to advance and improve on digital literacy and Information Technology awareness for all and sundry in order to improve the overall security architecture of the country.
2. Nigeria has a large percentage of youth population that are being trained in our Universities and other higher institutions.
We need to give them the right training with the right curriculum to enable them come up with innovative digital solutions and discourage them from engaging in social vices like drugs, crime and substance abuse.
3. In order to combat the issues concerning license and patent rights on imported technological equipment and infrastructures used by security agencies to combat crime, there is need for production of those equipment locally in order to save foreign exchange and grow our local Information Technology Industry.
4. There is need for collaboration and synergy among the security agencies in the deployment of IT equipment and tools to combat crime and bring about economic stability in Nigeria.
5. The security agencies also need to strengthen their collaboration with the Education sector and support research in the area of developing locally made digital solutions and equipment that could be used to fight crime in Nigeria.
6. There is need for collaborative efforts from both Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and Federal Ministry of Education for further research on new innovations in the area on national security that are developed by Nigerians
7. Governments at various levels should provide an enabling environment for our brilliant and well trained youth to develop local IT solutions to solve our peculiar challenges, this will eventually discourage mass exodus of Nigerian youth to foreign countries and develop our national economy.
8. We need to strengthen local content in combating crime and bring about economic stability.
The conference recommended that this could be accomplished through the strengthening of initiatives and collaboration with relevant bodies with focus on Security and Information Technology like the newly created Nigeria Data Protection Bureau.
“CPN should also be involved in collaborative efforts to ensure meaningful data protection regulation in Nigeria.
“Also, all our local Information Technology service providers should be patronized and given the opportunity to come up with solutions to some of our security challenges”, the conference agreed, according to the communiqué co-signed by Muhammad Bello Aliyu, the Registrar/Secretary to Council.
Conclusion
At the end of the 2022 hybrid Information Technology Assembly/Annual General Meeting, members of the profession present during the meeting were appreciated for their contribution to the success of the assembly.
