My Predecessors Turned NITDA To Contract Giving Agency – Pantami

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami today indicted his predecessors, saying they turned the government IT clearing house to more of a contract giving agency.

Pantami disclosed this at this year’s West Africa Convergence Conference in Lagos, when reacting to questions on his mandate and strategies that he intend to use to move the government agency, saddled with the responsibility of creating capacity especially among the youths.

According to him, since his appointment few months ago, the major challenges he is contending with stakeholders, who floor the premises of the NITDA to seek for contracts that are not tied to the NITDA’s mandate.

“We are ready to work with different stakeholders on how best to move NITDA and indeed Nigeria forward. But one of the challenges I am presently dealing with is people come to NITDA, looking for one contract or the other without really giving suggestions and ideas that can help achieve our mandates. What this tells me is that my predecessors succeeding in turning NITDA to where contracts are given to contractors,” he said.

He revealed that NITDA, under his leadership is presently working on a blueprint that would be used to rejig. “I wouldn’t like to disclose our plan at a forum like this, but we are working with some partners and stakeholders to come up with a blueprint for the IT industry, especially as it concerns local content and capacity building,” he added.