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NITDA to Partner COREN in Driving Engineering Processes
The National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) has expressed its willingness to collaborate with engineering professionals in Africa in order to infuse emerging technological tools, services and knowledge into engineering processes for enhanced productivity and customer satisfaction.
The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE made this known when he played host to a team of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), led by its Registrar, Engr. Prof. Adisa A. Bello and a team from the Engineers Board of Kenya, led by its chairman, Engr Erastus K. Mwongera at the Corporate Headquarters of the Agency in Abuja.
The NITDA Director General stated that emerging technologies are reshaping the way engineers design and develop their equipment globally and it is a necessary step in the right direction that Africa adopts it for optimal productivity in its engineering processes.
According to Inuwa, there is need for a convergence between information technology and engineering because it would reduce cost of research and development as well as enhance innovations in real-time to achieve desired results.
“Today we are talking about data and in mechanical engineering for example, there are no longer machines on the field, there are smart and connected machines that are able to generate data for predictive maintainers and predictive analytics”, he buttressed.
While expressing his excitement at the interest in collaboration shown by the visitors, he stated that it would give room to a plethora of opportunities where ideas and expertise can be collectively harnessed to drive Africa to an enviable position.
“I am glad that Africa is now looking inward to see how to put our energies together to develop African countries. Engineers are problem solvers and as long as the solutions are local, it will require local initiative as well,” he stated.
Reiterating that information technology is pervasive and believing that Africa has all it takes to be a global superpower in the fourth Industrial Revolution, Inuwa urged the two visiting engineering bodies to develop existential capabilities and flexibility to survive and thrive.
Reaffirming that technology has been disrupting processes including engineering processes globally; Inuwa disclosed that NITDA has developed various initiatives and strategies in fortifying the innovative ecosystem within and beyond the country.
He said, “At NITDA, we are promoting innovation-driven enterprises and the target is to take it to the global market. We have initiatives that bring the youths together, build ecosystems and build solutions to our problems.”
Eulogizing the impact of information technology on the status quo of existing traditional processes, the NITDA boss stated that information technology has been phenomenally inspirational by enabling creative ideas for enhanced business value propositions and creating new approaches to solving problems.
Inuwa accentuated the need to leverage digital technologies in boosting engineering processes and urged the visitors to fully exploit the three capabilities of Ubiquitous Data where information is collected, analyzed and commercialized, Connectivity, where existential flexibility can be used in harnessing resources from the physical, digital and biological worlds and lastly, Processing Power, where trending devices can be used in enhancing job processes.
“So, if you can use these three capabilities, nothing is impossible in this world and anything you want to do, you can achieve with it,” he assured.
In his earlier remark, Prof. Bello commended NITDA for their milestone achievements over the years and appreciated the Agency for their willingness in collaborating with COREN in deploying Information Technology into engineering processes for enhanced productivity.
In the same vein, Engr. Mwongera in his remark marveled at the extraordinary work being done at the Agency’s National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR).
He expressed his delight at collaborating with NITDA while using its achievements as benchmarks for up-scaling engineering processes in Kenya and the continent as a whole.
Federal Government has revealed that N8.8 billion has been spent to repair and restore power transmission towers across Nigeria that were destroyed by vandals and bandits.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. Suleiman Ahmed Abdulaziz, during the Quarterly Power Sector Working Group meeting in Abuja.
Engr. Abdulaziz, represented by the Executive Director of Transmission Service Provider (TSO), Engr. Olugbenga Emmanuel Ajiboye, disclosed that 128 transmission towers have been destroyed since January 13, 2024. He lamented the recurrence of vandalism despite the arrests of perpetrators, citing ineffective prosecution as a significant challenge.
“Till date, we have spent about N8.8 billion, by our estimation, to put them back to full and functional use,” Abdulaziz said. “It is so sad that each time the vandals were caught and taken to police for prosecution, police would incident them for theft instead of vandalism, and they will be bailed. If they are charged for vandalism, they cannot be bailed, but this is where we are.”
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Abdulaziz noted the challenges faced during the restoration of the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna transmission towers. “We had to get full military escorts for our contractors to restore the transmission lines and towers.
“In some cases, they would only allow us to work for two hours a day, and at times, they declared the area unsafe for operations.
“How can we deliver electricity to Nigerians under these terrible circumstances?”
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, represented by his Chief Technical Adviser, Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, outlined the government’s plans to collaborate with international partners to improve electricity access.
He revealed ongoing efforts with the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to provide electricity to 50 million Nigerians by 2030 as part of the larger “Mission 300” initiative, which aims to bring electricity to 300 million Africans.
“Nigeria has a large population that is without electricity, and this is a great opportunity for us to be part of this process,” Adelabu said.
He added that the government’s strategy involves public and private sector partnerships focusing on solar systems, mini and micro grids, and grid extensions.
The Minister also announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to sign the Compact document for the Mission 300 project in Tanzania in January 2025. “The most important thing is that we have to drive the process by ourselves,” he emphasized.
The Nigerian power sector continues to grapple with numerous challenges, including vandalism, banditry, and insufficient infrastructure. The Federal Government has also faced criticism for inadequate security measures around critical power assets.
Dr. John O. Asein, the Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has again stressed the need for every University to have an Intellectual Property (IP) Policy so as to maximize their innovative and creative potentials.
Dr. Asein made this point while formally presenting the revised Model Intellectual Property (IP) Policy to the General Assembly of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) in Abuja on 30th October 2024.
According to him, the Model Policy, which was developed by the Commission in collaboration with the CVCNU in 2021 was reissued as part of the Commission’s renewed effort to promote its adoption and implementation.
The Director-General thanked the immediate past Secretary General of CVCNU Prof. Yakubu Ochefu for supporting the initiative and working with the Commission to promote the sustainable use and effective management of IP in Nigerian universities.
Dr. Asein also called on tertiary institutions, as centres of learning and research, to introduce their faculties and students to the subject of intellectual property in line with global trends and to make Nigerian universities globally competitive.
To this end he assured Vice-Chancellors of the Commission’s readiness to help in the development and implementation of their policy.
“The Commission will work with other agencies, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to begin the intellectual property ranking of universities and celebrate those that excel in the respect, generation, use and commercilaisation of IP”, the Director-General assured.
Speaking on the WIPO Distance Learning (DL) courses on IP, the Director-General urged universities to infuse the WIPO DL 101 course, which is available online for free, into the General Studies course to give students basic knowledge of IP and equip them in their respective courses of study.
Receiving the copies on behalf of Nigerian Vice-Chcnellors, the Chairman CVCNU, Prof. Lilian Salami (Vice-Chancellor, University of Benin) commended the collaborative efforts of the Commission and AVCNU in developing the Model IP Policy and assured the Director-General of CVCNU’s continued commitment to working with the Commission, particularly in promoting better IP culture in universities.
The Model IP Policy was developed with the help of a team of Nigerian experts and with the support of the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Office of Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP).
A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Bwari area council, Abuja has ordered the arrest of Dr Bright Echefu, chief executive of Briech Intelligence Fusion Limited, a security company, over an allegation of $651, 280 fraud.
Echefu is said to have allegedly defrauded BCG NEEDS Company of the said amount under the pretence of supplying drones and accessories.
The court ordered Disu Olatunji, commissioner of Police, federal capital territory (FCT) to arrest Echefu and his company.
Echefu is also the managing director and chief executive officer of Telecom Satellite Television, according to Leadership Newspaper.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier arraigned the businessman at the federal high court over allegations of tax evasion, money laundering, and advanced fee fraud.
Okechikwu John Akweke, presiding judge, ordered Echefu’s arrest after the motion was moved by John Paul Eze Esq. of O. J. Law Consult.
Akweke said the order is to compel Echefu and his company appearances before the court in line with Section 113 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
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