Okigbo Emerges ISPON President

The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), has elected Pius Okigbo, Jr. (FNCS), as its president with a new National Executive Council (NEC) to run the affairs of the organisation for the next two years.

The election took place at the just concluded Annual General Meeting held at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos.

The composition of the new National Executive Council (NEC) is as follows: Pius OKIGBO Jr. (FNCS) - President, James Emadoye (FNCS)  - 1st. Vice-President, Yele Okeremi (FNCS) - 2nd Vice-President. Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu (FNCS) - General Secretary; Collins ONUEGBU - Treasurer and Dr. Abiodun Falade - Assistant General Secretary.

Others are: Pius Ekeh Jr. - Chairman Media and Public Relations Committee; Titus Olowokere as chairman Policy and Strategy Committee; and Femi Ayo-Yusuf –Chairman Education & Capacity Building Committee.

In his acceptance remarks, the new President called attention to the dynamism and strength of the new NEC, observing that its configuration reflects an eclectic mix of industry leaders in software and services across economic sectors from start-ups to mature champions of the IT Industry.

He declared that in furtherance of the goals of ISPON, the next two years would focus on an aggressive push for Software Nigeria emphasizing a software-centric local content agenda underpinned by a nation-wide software capacity-building initiative to establish the industry as the engine of Nigeria’s New Economy.

Pius Okigbo Jr. is a respected veteran of the software industry in the United States and Nigeria with a track record of successful bespoke development, entrepreneurship and people development.

A founding member of ISPON, he has been a relentless champion of indigenous intellectual property development and associated rights, with a passion for unleashing the talent of Nigeria’s youth through careers and entrepreneurship in the software industry.

The new ISPON president pledged to build on the incredible achievements of the ISPON leadership to date and to continue the partnership and collaboration with the Ministry of Communication Technology, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and other MDAs, the private sector as well as the Nigeria Computer Society and other professional bodies in pursuit of jobs, wealth creation and the overall development of a more prosperous Nigeria for all.

The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) was established in 1998 to promote and foster the development of Indigenous Software (Application and Systems Software) and software services.

ISPON has been consistent in stating that the hope for national development lies first in engaging the challenges posed by the emerging new economy of the knowledge society.

ISPON asserts that software technology and the internet, with characteristically low physical entry barriers and high local value-added, offer Nigeria and newly industrializing countries a chance to quantum leapfrog.

Recognizing software development as a new productive knowledge frontier and potential instrument for economic empowerment and creation of wealth, ISPON’s mission is to improve capacity of the country to create, deploy and innovate for a more prosperous and dynamic Nigeria through  the promotion and widespread the use of “Nigerian Developed” software applications and services in governance, education, health, business and industry, agriculture, transportation, public administration and national security.