A member of the House of Representatives, Daniel Asama representing Jos/Bassa Federal Constituency, Plateau State has identified implementation gaps as a major obstacle to Nigeria’s progress in information technology.
The lawmaker, while speaking at the closing ceremony of a Summer Programme organised by Teen Ambassador Foundation in collaboration with the Net Access Communication Ltd in Abuja, emphasized that legislation alone cannot address the issue, stressing the need for effective implementation and monitoring by relevant ministries.
Asama noted that implementation fatigue, infrastructural dilapidation, and corruption are widespread challenges in the country, affecting not only IT development but also other sectors. However, he expressed optimism that efforts are being made to address these issues.
The lawmaker also highlighted the importance of introducing young people to computer science and technology, citing the potential for Nigeria to become a leader in the field.
He also emphasized the need to redirect the energy of young people, including those involved in online scams, towards positive uses of technology.
He said.” today AI has taken over everything. Literally, I will tell you that in the near future, computer and technology will take over the world. I have children, and I will only be fair to my kids if I introduce them to computers now.
“I have to introduce my kids to STEM. I have to introduce them to technology that has to do with programming, computing, and every other thing. I don’t care what my child is going to learn. If you want to be a doctor, if you want to be a lawyer, but I will have to give you a background, a deep, very solid background of computer sciences, before you can reach any other profession.
“Because I don’t want my child to have a profession that one day that will be shortchanged. And I will tell you for Nigeria as a whole, technology is the hope for the world. Silicon Valley today is made of younger people from the ages of 16 to about 40.
“They are the ones driving Silicon Valley in California today. Where technology is being incubated to the whole world. Today, Nigeria is known to be some of the smartest people in the world.
“All the Yahoo boys that you hear, all the scum that you hear, it’s technology. There isn’t technology to do it. If we can only redirect that technology and put it in the right place, then we are good.
“So all this technology and the crime we are seeing online, the internet scum and everything, we only need to get these guys when they are young. Like we are doing here in Tim’s Ambassador. Get them young.
“Inculcate this discipline. Let them learn the technology, but learn to apply it to the right places. My background, I have a background of computer science.
“I understand that I would have chosen to be a scammer, or be hacking people’s accounts, or be hacking ATMs and try to get money. Or I can develop softwares that will help and develop people. So today, the kids have an opportunity to learn how to develop their country.
“This technology thing, India, Israel, Kenya now, and some part of Africa, around the world, are growing strong in technology. We have the capacity. We can match them and we can even do better than them. I like this and I think this is the way forward. What will help our economy today is to build industrialization internally.
“If we build up a technology today that the world is going to buy, then we are up already. So what happens to X? What happens to Facebook? What happens to Instagram? What is happening with all the platforms, Google, Yahoo, everything? We can do it here.
“Yahoo was started by seven young people. They were teenagers, seven of them, who started Yahoo and then it became what it becomes. We can do this here.
The lawmaker’s comments underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing Nigeria’s IT development challenges, including effective implementation, monitoring, and investment in youth education.
Speaking also at the event, the Director General of Teen Ambassador Foundation (TAF) Mr Paul Adiwu called on the federal government to invest more on young teenagers in the area of information Communication Technology ICT across the country.
According to Adiwu, the foundation is willing to support further education in software and computer engineering to outstanding students.
He said “we don’t just stop at this training that we’ve started. We are stepping up our game by giving them those that want to reach, that want to go further. We can give them scholarship.
“We can give them scholarship to study software engineering or computer engineering. It’s not just picking people randomly. Because when the time comes and after writing their YA, and you have the required grades to be admitted in school, and your parents cannot afford to pay for your education, we will support such students.
Implementation gaps limiting Nigeria’s IT sector growth – Rep member, Asama