Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has again decried the exclusion of IT professionals from the list of delegates to the forthcoming national conference, describing the action as marginalization of the group by the government.
NCS said that the discussions on the future of the nation cannot be complete without IT applications.
Professor David Adewumi, president of the Society, told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that the exclusion of IT professionals should be a source of worry to every right thinking Nigerian.
He said it was puzzling that IT professionals are missing from the list which has students and market women.
Adewunmi said: “On the national conference, our perception in NCS is that the exclusion of IT professionals in the composition of delegates is a clear indication of marginalization of the industry by the government. That is why they never thought of including the all important agents of change; the present and future drivers of the economy.
“No gathering in the 21st Century, particularly those aiming at development and improvement of the lives of individuals, which will not involve the IT, technology and the professionals. I wouldn’t know the thinking in the government that made them to push the professionals to the background. We are still insisting that we should be part of the gathering; so that we can add impetus to the gathering, by looking at building IT for our future existence”.
The NCS President questioned the rationale behind the inclusion selected few professional bodies while ditching the most viable sector to a humdrum background.
“They involved professionals drawn from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), others from among architectural body in the country. Students and market women made part of the list. We are using this medium to call on President Goodluck Jonathan to reconsider its position so that IT professionals can be represented on the national conference. We know that with IT being reflected on the national course a number of innovations and usage will reflect in building the future we crave for as a unified people,” he said.
“Should IT professionals not being recognized or engaged on the discussion, the implication for the country will not be palatable, in the sense that no country can survive today without a working IT ecosystem. I am sure the intention of the government is to ensure that all facet of the economy are improved upon. The improvement entails inter-tribal relationships, inter-ethnic and even inter-governmental, and then it should be inclusive. If we want to involve everybody without the IT, the implication may assume than what we are seeing today,” he argued.