Follow Us on Google
The director-general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has unfolded plans for the digital transformation of the Nigerian government on his watch at the federal IT regulatory agency.
Abdullahi, who hopes to leave a legacy of digital transformation on completion of his duty at NITDA said that the invitation extended him by Dr. Isa Pantami, the immediate past DG of NITDA, who was appointed Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, prepared him for his current position.
According to him, since coming into NITDA under Pantami, he played a crucial role in the development of a strategic plan built on seven pillars to turn around the Nigerian IT sector, that also identified ICT as a key enabler for economic diversification.
“I was very instrumental in implementing the strategy. So the strategy was developed for the agency for 2017-2020 and the strategy was about seven key pillars”, Abdullahi said. “In 2016, my mentor and boss, Dr. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, was appointed by the President as Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and he requested for me to join his team as Technical Assistant.”
“I joined NITDA in March 2017, which I worked with him to develop the strategy for the agency on how to transform the Nigerian IT sector. That time was very formative to my career because it exposed me to a lot of challenges in terms of administration and dealing with different stakeholders,” the NITDA chief said.
According to him, “I was the one coordinating mostly the activities while he was the DG. As the Technical Assistant, he delegated a lot of things to me. I think that period was very formative to my career and that helped me to succeed him because my belief is when you work with someone and you make that person shine, if he gets promoted, definitely he would lift you up. I never dreamt of being the DG. I worked with him and I gave him my support 100 per cent. I think that’s why he recommended me to succeed him as the DG/CEO of NITDA.”
The NITDA DG/CEO said the seven pillars include: regulation to level the playing field and removes obstacles to business; capacity building to function in a knowledge-based economy; government digital services to foster an interactive government encouraging contributions by citizens and delivery of service; local content to encourage delivery of tailor-made tech solutions for local needs; digital inclusion to promote infrastructure for citizens to access e-services; digital job creation and cybersecurity to protect Nigeria’s technology assets.
