*Today, Nigeria is a consuming nation, and our economy will continue to suffer as long as we fail to integrate production into every sector of the economy, says Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, Minister for Communications and Digital Economy

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

While charging members of staff of his ministry to challenge Nigerians to come up with innovative ideas that would proffer solutions to societal problems, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, 聽Honourable Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, has identified digital innovations and entrepreneurship as critical pillars for development of the digital Nigerian economy.

The Minister disclosed this during the ministerial retreat the organised for directorate cadre workers in Abuja.

Mrs. Phil Oshodin, Head of Press and Public Relations, in a statement on the event said the retreat tagged, 鈥楶erformance Improvement and Service Delivery in the Era of Digital Economy鈥� held November 17 鈹�18, 2020.

Dr. Pantami urged the personnel in the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to challenge citizens to evolve innovative ideas that would proffer solutions to societal problems.

He said: 鈥淭oday, we are a consuming nation and our economy will continue to suffer as long as we fail to integrate production into every sector of the economy.

鈥淎s a nation, we must excel in manufacturing and production, which is the way forward. Our day-to-day activities are to promote digital entrepreneurship and our target is to transform Nigeria into a leading digital economy.鈥�

The ministry involved stakeholders in the ICT sector, political parties, governors, traditional institutions, and religious leaders in developing digital policies for the nation, stated he.

Pantami noted that the policies are not about the present administration, but long-term policies for the nation, which would outlive the administration.

He stressed: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 think about the current administration in developing policies but our focus is about the country.

鈥淲e inherited documents from the previous administration which we implemented; we will also leave for the incoming administration because government is a continuum.鈥�

He, therefore, charged the management to work like a team, and think analytically in order to break down complex information or comprehensive data into fundamental parts.

Earlier, Mr. Musa Istifanus, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, in his address had remarked that members of staff needed to think outside the box to find solutions to Nigeria鈥檚 multifarious problems.

Istifanus observed that the society would blame the ministry and its personnel if they failed to achieve digital economy objectives.

According to him, the reason the members of staff did not achieve their objectives on time was the inability to follow rules and regulations in the system.

Everybody must do the right things within available resources, he stated.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State, has emphasised the need for stakeholders to invest in information and communications technology (ICT).

A statement by Dr Hakeem Bakare, Director-General of the Directorate of ICT in Ekiti State, disclosed that Fayemi spoke during a visit to the JibMore ICT Hub and Centre of Excellence, Ikun Ekiti, in the Moba Local Government Area of the state Tuesday, November 17, 2020.

The governor, represented by Dr. Bakare, said the state government had approved the expansion of a dedicated powerline to the ICT hub.

鈥淚nvestment in critical ICT infrastructure for skills acquisition will be the catalyst for the development of turnkey solutions that will drive rapid growth for the Nigerian economy and the world at large.

鈥淲e strongly believe that the Center will help to lift many Nigerians out of poverty,鈥� Fayemi said.

Mr. Michael Olajide, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of JibMore ICT Hub and Centre of Excellence, on the occasion, stated that the centre was established to cater to the needs of the youth and provide a platform for developing 21st century IT skills and entrepreneurship.