The Computer for All Nigeria initiative (CANi) which past President Olusegun Obasanjo flagged off on July 6, 2006 with the target of delivering 500,000 personal computers (PCs) within one year to Nigerians now appears shrouded in uncertainty.
The Computer for All Nigerians Initiative - CANi, is a Government Assisted PC Purchase programme (GAPP) designed to expand the usage of computers and information technology within the country.
This same initiative has been implemented in other countries of the world-UK, U.S A, Singapore, Japan, China and Egypt among others.
The ovation that heralded the launch of this laudable initiative had not simmered down before a cacophony of squabbles erupted.
People are now left in the dark as to the fate of the project. Many have written it off completely as dead and forgotten. But Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations revealed that all hope is not yet lost with the project that is meant to drive PCs penetration into sections of the Nigerian communities which are currently underserved.
In the pact, the Nigerian authorities had encouraged local original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with international certification such as Zinox, Omatek, Brian and Beta owners of Speedstar brands to work at reducing the price of their wares given the fact that that Microsoft which supplies the software component and Intel that supplies the processor had promised to lower the cost of their input.
However after few deliveries of about 14,500 PCs were made, a deluge of intrigues set in and some of the partners to the project started feeling marginalized in the scheme of things
Another contentions issue is the alleged inclusion of Hewlett Packard (HP) and IBM Corporation as part of the OEMs for the CANi project which drew the ire of local OEMs who claimed that for HP and IBM to partake in the CANi deal, they must first establish local factories in Nigeria.
Yet another face of the squabble had it that Intel and Microsoft failed to reduce the price of the windows operating system and processor for CANi branded computers which was why they brought in the first place to help drive the price of computers down to help expand the usage of computers and information Technology within the country .
In another disturbing scenario too, there was alleged ill feeling between the project management office (PMO) and the OEMs. The latter was said to have accused the former of marketing to the end users.
To stem the array of tirades that was becoming the lot of the CANi project , governments chief executor of the scheme and National information Technology Development Agency (Nitda) invited stakeholder to a media encounter in Lagos where he advised that fighting in the press over any problems does not help the problem at all.
After the encounter nothing much seems to be happened, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations revealed that nothing is wrong with CANi the project except that with a new government, the ministry of science and technology wants to review the operations of CANi .
Further investigation from the OEMs pointed out that the programme is still on course but not without a drastic shortfall in the number of computers ordered and supplied.
Government it appears has hand off funding the project leaving the purchase of computers in the hands of individuals, private companies and organizations
Considering the efforts and resources spent on the project, if this programme is abandoned at this stage like other government projects in the past, the aim of the exercise will have been defeated and poor Nigerians who cannot afford the cost of personal computer system will be worse for it.
