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We need venture capitalists to invest in IT –Ajisomo
Dele Ajisomo is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mandriva West Africa and a Board member of the Information Technology Association of Nigeria. In this interview with STANLEY OPARA and SIMON EJEMBI, he speaks on the future of IT business in Nigeria and the role of local players in the development of the industry
How will you rate the growth of the IT sector in Nigeria and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product?
The sector is growing and what we are contributing to the GDP is just five per cent. This is allowed, but we can actually contribute close to 30 per cent.
The Information Technology Association of Nigeria board, for instance, is now looking at things from a different perspective. It is bringing in people who can actually help the industry. The question now is: How do we bring this about?
We need funding, we need collaboration, we need development, we need training for our members of staff and this is what we really want to let people in the industry know and understand. We need all these to move ahead.
In the United States, where I trained, we have venture capitalists. You are starting a company and you are putting money in there, as long as you can provide them with corporate governance, a structure, a good business plan, you will get money and that is actually why there are lots of innovations in the US.
Nigerians are very creative, but without money they cannot go anywhere. That is really the difference between this country and other countries. That is what ITAN is trying to change. We want to see how we can actually have venture capitalists, but my challenge will be to get people with money in this country to actually invest in technology.
Technology is ruling the world now. That is why you have your phones. Do you know what most young multi-millionaires in the world today do? They don’t have fixed office hours. When they wake up, they drink coffee around their home and do programming on their personal computers.
Thereafter, you go online and you buy a game or you buy an application for $ 3 or $ 5. If they have 10 million people buying that application in a year, multiply that by 10 million. They are still in their houses, they don’t have offices, and so, when they want to trade that idea, venture capitalists will invest in it. That is the way Google started; Facebook, Twitter, and so on. That is the way they all started and that is the way the industry is going and that is the way we really need to move in this country.
Do you think the Federal Government is ready to help promote this whole idea?
Let’s not blame everything on the Federal Government. IT professionals in this country are very timid. We believe we can manage, but if we start coming out and start talking like people in other professions, people will start investing and we will also become important to the government.
Anybody can easily say now that five per cent of the GDP is nothing. But what have the other industries provided that is better than us? It is just that we are not talking. If we are talking, we’ll get funding. When the farmers started talking, agriculture became a major issue in the country, so that is the way it has to go.
Yes, you have to force your government to act; government will sit waiting for you. We always forget that government is for us. So, we really need to go after the government via talking, by doing something. Nigerians can produce all these banking applications that we are talking about, the programmes can be written in this country even by kids that are under 24. But where is the funding to do that?
Imagine how much a bank spends on IT in a year, that is just one bank in this country. And there are 23 to 24 major banks now. If you look at the amount, it is in billions of dollars; not naira.
If that money can reside here we can create more jobs for Nigerians, we can create more wealth for Nigerians and a lot of things can go on; and we can contribute towards our schools.
If we can buy technologies from local manufacturers, they will use that money to hire Nigerians and more Nigerians will be put to work. So, those are the types of things we need to look at, we need to start talking.
But why are IT professionals not talking?
Maybe it’s is our background. For example, when I started out in the US, I started with IBM. I had a room in my office and everything. I can stay in there on the floor, not because I did not have a chair, but I preferred putting the keyboard on my lap and I can stay there and not even look at the time or think about food.
It might have to do with the nature of the IT profession; we just need a quiet place where we can just think. I still do that. Sometimes, my wife will accuse me and say, ‘Why are you mild?’ And I’ll say, ‘I’m not mild, I’m just thinking.’ She’ll ask, ‘Why are you upset’ and I will say, ‘I’m not upset, I’m thinking’. You see, it might be our nature, but we need to come out of that shell. Also, sometimes, we keep too much to ourselves, we don’t share. If you keep things to yourself, saying you don’t want to share because someone else might do them before you, you may have more difficulties. But if you collaborate – I might not know what you know or who you know – then we can expand it. Let’s share it. Eventually, government will start hearing us.
How competent are Nigerian professionals, especially in the IT sector when compared to their foreign counterparts?
This takes me to the oil industry. The oil industry has been hijacked; you might not know. Some of the people working for oil companies won’t be able to clean my shoes in the US, but we call them expatriate here because they have white skin. We put them in nice houses, and we worship them as if they were great; it’s a fact.
I went to school with them, I know what they know and I didn’t fail or drop out of school, So, what’s the big deal? I did the same thing they did. I’ve worked for an oil company before – BP, which used to be Amoco Oil.
We do a lot of these things for them, we bring them here and the white folks you see, their bosses, who will also be white, will tell you that there are no competent Nigerians to do that and we accept that, while there are competent Nigerians. Before, they used to say we cannot develop any software in this country, but now, there are lots of software developed in this country. So, those are the types of things we need to look at.
In Nigeria people keep complaining that the quality of local product is below international standards. What is ITAN doing about this?
Let me say this; we don’t have patience, and that is something we don’t have in common with Americans. Every time you do something, people will start judging you and comparing you with people who have been doing it for over 200 years. You can buy a HP Computer today and tomorrow it might not work, you can also buy IBM today and tomorrow it might not work; it can happen to anybody. We need to be patient. I bought a cloth here one time and a tailor sewed it for me and I sent the same material to my wife in the US and she sewed it there. People here were saying hers was better than mine, while people in the US were saying mine was better than hers. That is the problem. Anything international, we just double it up; it’s our mentality.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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