
Participants at the recently concluded Indo-Africa ICT Summit in Lagos
Considering the observed violation and rampant breaches of several Executive Orders (EO) so far signed and introduced by the federal government, the Minister of Communications, Barr Adebayo Shittu has revealed that the Presidency is working on an executive bill that will be sent to the National Assembly to make a law to criminalise breaches in any EO.
The law will also consider the same status for all Presidential Directives on critical issues of national importance.
Explaining more in his Keynote address at the just concluded Indo -Africa ICT Expo 2018 organized in Lagos, he said “The National Assembly will soon enact a holistic law to criminalize breach of the Executive Orders most especially on Local Content in ICT. It may interest you to note that the Executive Orders are designed to give local entrepreneurs, start-ups, software industry and practitioners chance to improve their skills and products with minimal stifling competition from foreign firms”.
He noted that the new law will raise the seriousness of the government in achieving strategic targets in the issuance of Eos.
Business Hilights recalls that the federal government had in the last couple of months, issued not less than five Eos, but experiences show that adherences both by the public and private sector operators had been very weak.