allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Lasu Prepares for Digital Colonisation, as Uwaje Visits (Page 1 of 2)

With many Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics using ICT as an intervention tool in the 21st century knowledge society, the recent visit of the 1st Vice President of Nigerian Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Chris Uwaje to the state_of_the_art ICT Centers of the Lagos State University, (LASU) may have prepared the institution to the next level Digital Colonization using ICT to improve its position in learning, research and academic service delivery.

While exchaging ideas with the University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lateef Akanni Hussain on how best to position LASU on the right track in capacity building using ICT, Uwaje was of the opinion that LASU should declare ICT Capacity Building and Infrastructure Development as an emergency, deserving the highest priority and special budgetary allocation, adding that software be recognised as the engine for sustainable growth and security of future education.

Looking at the level of ICT education in the Nigerian educational system, he was worried on the big gap in ICT skills between the average Nigerian students and students of comparable economies, warning that something has to be done to save LASU and other tertiary institutions from eventual collapse.

He nevertheless commended the school authority in their various ICT intervention programmes to bridge this gap, he however warned that this gap, if not addressed immediately with effective intervention, will continue to grow far beyond what we are seeing now.

Professor Hussain welcoming the IT strategist and his entourage including Dele Ajisomo, Chief Executive Officer of Mandriva West Africa/ guest lecturer from the United States, and Henry Unachukwu, IT Consultant, was full of excitement said has strong vision for the university. His words, "We are ready for IT education.

You can attest to that from what you have seen in our ICT centers. It is our resolve to provide an enabling environment within the university community with a view to encouraging LASU students and staff to pursue with vigour the three cardinal principles of ICT: Training, Research, and Rendering of services to the university community," he said with optimism.

For Prof. Hussain, using ICT as a tool to empower the students ahead of the challenges of the knowledge economy, is something whose time is ripe. "That is the reason why we have put in place state_of_art ICT centers for the university community compared to other economies of the world. The students after graduation with what we have on ground should be able to compete with their peers around the world. That is the truth of the matter," he said.

Uwaje earlier in his paper delivered to the university community titled: "Information and Communications Technology and the Future of LASU_Imperatives for knowledge' he said that LASU must brace up with capacity building for global competitiveness.

ICT Career and the Nigerian Youths ; The central message of the Information and Knowledge society, he said is change. "The art of education to our people and Nigerian youths in particular must change, just as the art of governance and entertainment must change from the traditional muscle approach to knowledge and logic application.

No doubt, the IT World presents a formidable challenge to the Nigerian Youths - particularly in the career direction and how to make the right choice in the absence of career guidance in this very complex domain. Most of our youths have become great enthusiast of IT and dream big dreams on how to engage it and excel. But the truth is, they are ill prepared, lack the basic tools and many of them are confused on how to make the right choice"

Uwaje, who has been passionate about youth empowerment told the capacity audience in attendance.

What readily comes to the mind of many youths, he said, is to take a shot at IT industry certification and get a job. "This certification adventure has left a great vacuum in our national IT capacity development objective.

The consequences are that unknown to many, industry type certification is a strategic programme designed by equipment and product manufactures to cheaply support as well as increase and sustain their market share. If and when they go down, these armies of technical support will also be cut in the middle - especially in the hardware support sector," he added.

To engage and succeed in the resultant knowledge society, he noted that our nation must develop a very large pool of software engineering work force.

"The IT career of our youths should therefore be channeled in the direction of creative thinking in the software development domain. The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) under the auspices of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) should be encouraged by government and the private sector to develop enduring software development career programmes for the Nigerian youths at all levels. Commercial, service providers, real estate, general consulting, and petty (registered) businesses. These figures on total population include off_springs and second generation Nigerians," he added.

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