Barely 48 hours after it read the riot act to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), on the illegality of embarking on IT projects without recourse to it, the leadership of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has played host to the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Mustapha Magu and his management team.
NITDA is the IT regulatory body and also a clearing house for all IT projects and infrastructural development in the country.
In his address of welcome, the Director General of NITDA, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami solicited EFCC’s support to enforce the IT clearance law which the Federal Government mandated NITDA to handle the clearance of all IT procurement by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDA).
Business Hilights gathered that before now, some MDAs had repeatedly engaged in IT projects, which there is no provision for its sustainability afterward.
Dr. Pantami observed that “Information Technology (IT) is one of the areas which have been used to siphon government funds simply because of its complexity”.
According to him, “Many MDAs come to NITDA to seek IT clearance for their projects and services, which the Agency has professionals and experts that will analyse the project critically to know its authenticity before embarking on such project so as to save funds for the government”.
In his response, the visitor and Acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Mustapha Magu observed that “the two government organizations have a lot in common, and more need to be learned from each other”.
“EFCC need the support of every Nigerian in the fight against corruption for the betterment of our future generation because the Commission cannot do it alone. Corruption is the biggest problem in the country things need to be done the right way, which will curb the menace it has brought upon our country,” Magu averred.
Already, with the complaints of Nigerians on poor products and services delivery, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Consumer Protection Council (CPC) have formed a working committee to hold providers of products and services accountable. This collaborative move was taken when the Director General CPC, Barrister Babatunde Irukera paid similar visit to NITDA headquarters in Abuja.
