NOTAP Angry over Nigeria’s IT Consumerism Status

Dr. Abdu Bulama, minister of Science and Technology, has commended the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) for recently launching the Technology Storyboard initiative of the Office and unveiling of the Technology Storybook, saying Nigerians should embrace the initiative to leap-frog technology development in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, NOTAP is not happy that of one hundred and twenty nine Universities in the country and numerous polytechnics and research institutions, the country still import hundred percent of the technologies consumed in the country.

The Minister who was speaking through Dr. Saidu Mahammed, director general of National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), at the event recently said that with the Technology Storyboard initiated by NOTAP, Nigeria was at the threshold of demystifying Science and Technology.

He said NOTAP was established among other things, to promote a rapid technological revolution by an efficient assimilation/absorption of foreign technology and a concerted development of indigenous technological capability through a proactive commercialization and promotion of locally motivated technologies.

He reiterated that NOTAP by this laudable initiativehas demonstrated commitment to ensuring that science and technology which is globally the engine that steers development is demystified through a simplified pictorial representation of products production/manufacturing processes.

Bulama told the gathering that one of the objectives of the Storyboard was to use the Technology Storyboard to teach primary and Secondary school pupils about production processes of products so that the story will constantly remind them that science, technology and innovation are key ingredients for product processing and wealth creation.

He said the initiative was an offshoot of the Public-Private-partnership arrangement by NOTAP, conceptualized during the monitoring of technology transfer agreementof production companies in Nigeria.

But, Engineer Umar Buba Bindir, director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), expressed displeasure that out of one hundred and twenty nine Universities in the country and numerous polytechnics and research institutions, the country still import hundred percent of the technologies consumed in the country.

He said NOTAP for the past five years, has been facilitating the linkage between the industry and the academia.

He added that the registration of technology transfer agreement, gave NOTAP the opportunity of constantly interacting with both bodies which availed NOTAP the opportunity of knowing the challenges of the industry as it affects demand-driven research.

He said the storyboard initiative was targeted at “catching the school pupils young” to begin to develop enduring interest in science, technology and innovation development which is the engine that steers socio-economic growth of every nation.

He said no Nigerian Child will pass through the pictorial product production/manufacturing processes through primary and secondary schools without developing interest in science and technology.

The NOTAP boss therefore pleaded with Federal and State Ministries of education to join hands to ensure that these storybooks are distributed in all Nigerian Schools.

Obaro, SystemSpecs Boss Toasts CBN Cashless Policy

Mr. John Obaro, managing director/chief executive officer, SystemSpecs Company Limited, has assured that Central Bank of Nigeria’s cashless initiative has achieved some feat despite infrastructural challenges.

Obaro, while speaking to journalists in an interview stated that some of the challenges facing the cash policy drive remained infrastructural issues adding the it did not stop the rapid spread of e-payment in the country .

“Well, the first thing people always talk about is infrastructural challenges. The mere fact that there are infrastructural challenges has not stopped the rapid growth of e-payment in Nigeria. We are not where we were five years ago. In fact, we are not where we were two years ago.

“Therefore, many things are improving. We know we are not yet there, but we should not discountenance the fact that a lot of progress has been made. We cannot wait and say we cannot practice e-payment until everything is perfect because that day will not come. Even if you go to the developed countries, you still have occasional failures.

“You still have communication challenges. It may not be as much as we have here, but they still happen. Therefore, I really would not want us to focus on a glass that is half-empty, let us focus on the portion that is half-full. We have the opportunities with us here, things are happening, and things are getting better. So, let us focus on the fact that it is growing and the challenges that are coming up are not irresolvable .

Accessing the impact of the policy so far, he noted that initiative has began to gain the peoples acceptance adding that people have seen it benefits.

“Cashless policy is the direction of the world. The convenience is so obvious. Even in Nigeria, the resistance that was there in the early days is beginning to thin out because people are beginning to see the benefits; they are seeing that this thing works, and things can only get better. So I see a situation in which more players will come. With the banks now fully on board on electronic payments, it is obvious that this is the direction things will go in the country as well”, he assured.

Speaking on electronic fraud, Obaro stated that fraud control is more easier in e-business .

“There has always been fraud wherever you have man and money. The bulk of cash are now moving from cash to electronic space; of course the robbers will follow. But the good news is that it is actually easier to put in controls in the electronic space. We are not saying fraud will not happen, but it becomes much easier to put in controls. With tracker, you can monitor where the money is going to and who is doing what.

“Thieves thrive under anonymity. When they know that they cannot be caught and nobody will know they did it, they will continue. But when they know that in the electronic space, they would be tracked though it takes time, they will retract. Yes, there is electronic fraud, but that I believe is more in the short term than in the long term”, he said.