By Juliet Umeh
The executive president of the Federal Internal Revenue Service, FIRS, Mr. Muhammad Nami; the Executive Vice President of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta; the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Mr. Olusola Teniola, among other prominent Nigerians, will discuss new e-government strategies and policies at the Nigerian e-government Summit.
The Nigerian Annual E-Government Summit held on November 17 at Sheraton Hotels and Tower, Ikeja, has as the theme: COVID-19: Driving Accelerated Adoption of e-Government.
According to the organizers, the discussions and document presentations at the summit will address the effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy and help recondition the economy for an accelerated deployment, designed to boost the government’s online presence.
Nami, who would be joined by part of the FIRS management team, including Dr. Zainab Gobir, is expected to deliver the keynote address.
Other keynote speakers include: Governors Forum Chairman and Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi; MTN board member and former Communications Minister Dr. Omobola Johnson; GMT Energy CEO and NAHCO President Dr. Sehinde Oladapo; Lagos State Science and Technology Commissioner Hakeem Fahm; and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dra. Isa Ibrahim Pantami. The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is the host Governor.
In addition, different panels have been aligned with subtopics such as: The role of government agencies in the advancement of the National Electronic Administration Plan; The state of eGovernment and critical success factors in specific countries; Positioning of the telecommunications infrastructure for the deployment of electronic administration; Associated government for the development of sustainable electronic administration services; Data center infrastructure and co-location as a facilitator for the deployment of electronic administration, among others. Each panel will be made up of panelists from relevant study areas and will be chaired by professionals with in-depth knowledge of the subject.
DigiServe Network Services Chief Executive Officer and Summit Convenor, Lanre Ajayi, said: “We are bringing together world-class technology experts and solution providers to share their experiences and showcase the latest innovations applicable to the implementation of services electronic administration. We are also inviting senior government officials not only to learn from the experts, but also to share their own experience and show the status of the implementation of eGovernment services in their respective governance domains. “
According to him, the ongoing pandemic highlighted the important roles that technologies can play in our lives. Without much promotion, citizens migrated several of their daily activities online. The trade moved online with many people now buying and selling on the internet, students now get lessons online, even patients consult with doctors online.
Ajayi said the technologies have served Nigerians very well in the difficult period of the pandemic in many more areas, including governance, so that governments now hold cabinet meetings online and taxes are now paid online. However, he expressed concern about the slow pace of adoption of technologies in governance.
