Mr. Olu Babatunde is the Regional Manager, West Africa, Robotel Incorporated, a Canadian-based Information Technology Communication firm. In this interview with ABIOLA ODUTOLA, he identifies the hurdles before the penetration of ICT in Nigeria, a situation he argues is a bane to the nation’s economy. Excerpts:
How would you rate the penetration of Information Communication Technology in Nigeria?
It is fair, when compared with what is obtainable in other developing nations. It is a fact that the cost of accessing the Internet is expensive in Nigeria, and that alone hinders the expected penetration of ICT in the country. It is important for operators to join forces to drop the cost of Internet and exchange point in the country.
But considering the increasing growth witnessed in the telecommunication sector and the influx of upgraded desktop computers across the nation, can one then say ICT is here to stay?
First, let me make certain things clear. The fact that most Nigerians carry smartphones around and there are computers everywhere does not translate to ICT growth or development. As far as I am concerned, Nigeria has not tapped the full potential of the sector and as long as this continues, our economy is far from joining the league of the top 20 best economies in the world.
In what areas do you expect the nation to do more?
Our education sector lacks proper attention. It needs more legacies in investment and entrepreneurial focus. I would say that we are not where we ought to be and this is something that the Nigerian government has accepted. Though, the Federal Government has designed a roadmap to achieve that goal, which is why it is paying attention to the sector in the budget. But the goal needs to be fine-tuned to embrace ICT; else it would be a waste of fund.
Are you saying most schools lack basic ICT equipment to boost labour productivity?
Most of the private and public secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria lack basic tools to boost labour productivity. Our system does not encourage students to be exposed to certain innovation and makes it almost impossible for them to compete with foreign counterparts. It is not that most of them do not know the importance of ICT gadgets, but certain factors hinder them from doing the right thing.
What factors hinder the schools? Is it lack of sufficient funds from either the State or Federal Government?
No. Most of them are rich enough to build facilities like language laboratories and smart classes but they won’t do that owing to corruption. If students are exposed to these innovations from school, the entrepreneurial mindset and labour productivity of such students will be boosted by the time they are out of school. Students can learn different international languages and skills on their own without teachers’ assistance, and that alone can enrich such students, their future employers and the nation at the end of the day.
You alleged corruption hinders the adoption of the innovations in Nigeria. Can you recall some of your experiences?
I won’t mention names but some staff of the public tertiary institutions are so corrupt that they prefer to frustrate efforts of the government to transform schools. For instance, an institution in this part of the nation asked us to come and test-run a language laboratory for its management. We agreed to do a ‘demo’ on five computers, but they changed it to 15 when we got to the schools. Shortly after installation, we were shocked when the head of the IT section of the school introduced a member of my staff to some gentlemen as one of the tutors of the school. We later found that the gentlemen were actually from the National Universities Commission. They came to check if the school had a language laboratory, which is the basic requirement for its accreditation. After my staff finished the presentation, the team clapped for the management and promised to fast-track the accreditation processes. That is only one of several cases of corrupt practices in the schools. Some would even ask you to inflate the sum of the projects by 100 per cent or more.
Critics argue that the lack of mentorship in the education sector has boosted the unemployment rate in the country. What are your expectations from government in
this regard?
A lot of Nigerians can actually be greater than what they are today if they have the right mentors to guide them. Some of them may have access to right information but finding the right people to talk to is always an issue. Illegal agents or some novice, who claimed to be experts have swindled many of them. The Federal Government needs to engage foreign institutes to offer credible platforms to offer information that is helpful to them. Students can also network with people that could help them in their career pursuit. Also, if the environment is friendly, investors will come in and that will boost labour productivity.
The Government has promised to increase the broadband penetration by 30 per cent by the end of the year. Is this realistic?
Honestly, it is achievable if all hands are on deck. It will take the service providers to now deliver the information linked to the end-users, based on the plan on ground now. As you can see already, Glo has moved to 4G; so, others are in the pipeline. I believe that the congestion will reduce in the network and the quality of service will improve. Therefore, it is possible to achieve the 30 per cent penetration before the
end of 2018.
