Good read from TechCabal on Omobola Johnson (Nigeria’s Minister of Communication Technology)’s not being axed in the latest shakeup in the President’s cabinet and the work she still needs to deliver on.
Excerpt from the TC post:
Continuity and legacies are not our strongest suits in this neck of the woods. Here, it is the rare project that outlasts its creator. Changes in power are opportunities for the new prebendal diktats to commission fresh contract spawning projects for the boys dem. Old projects? Tough luck if the new pharaoh doesn’t give a damn about Joseph. So when the federal cabinet reshuffle became imminent, many were fearful of the implications for the ICT sector. There was a good chance that all the ongoing work, all the progress made, could suddenly be for naught.
They need not have fretted. As far as we can tell, it has pleased Aso Rock that the ICT minister remain where she is. The former minister of science and technology, Prof. Okon Ewa-Bassey, wasn’t so lucky however.
It is good that the dreaded axe didn’t come down after all. But the clock never stopped ticking. Barring another executive tantrum, Omobola Johnson now has just over a year to consolidate her efforts and at least get the sector to exit velocity, before she can retire in peace. The policy wonks could come up with a better list but the minister still has to deliver on –
- Ubiquitous broadband access, nationwide. The national broadband plan is out and up for implementation.
- The ministry’s stated agenda to accelerate the ecosystem via funding, infrastructure, and corporate incentives. The feasibility and sustainability of government driven ICT hubs andstartup seed funds is still up for debate.
- Open data and citizen access to governance initiatives at the federal level.
- The pursuit of policy, especially in cyber crime and electronic transactions that are not only in keeping with the present but are also reasonably future proof.
The weight of expectation might seem unfair, but its motivations are well founded. Maybe I haven’t been around long enough to know, but I do not recollect any previous individual who at this level of access to the strings of policy has brought comparable amounts of domain expertise AND motivation to the responsibility of charting a federal course for Nigerian technology.
Read the entire article on TechCabal.
Bonus: Video of Minister Johnson on ICT in Nigeria
