LOCAL CONTENT POLICY: IT professionals advocate full implementation of executive order

By Emeka Aginam & Emmanuel Elebeke

Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, CPN, has reiterated its support for the executive orders recently signed into law by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

The council made its stand known during its Annual General Assembly in Abuja recently.

The two day event attended by over 6,000 CPN members, saw renowned IT experts and captains of industry assessed the level of  IT adoption in Nigeria and offered solutions to improve the culture of utilisation, especially in public organizations.

The Council which was emphatic on Executive Order 003, said its support for the order was in accordance with the Local Content policy of the nation.

In his address, the outgoing President and Chairman of  Council, Prof. Vincent Asor, said the Executive Order recently signed into law by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, came at the time the nation needed it most to reposition the economy.

“All IT practitioners in Nigeria should support the new policy to ensure the country leverages on IT to resuscitate and relaunch the economy.

“CPN  has been at the fore front of canvassing increase in the utilization of local IT practitioners, firms and goods and services by government agencies,” Asor said.

The executive order, according to him, mandates all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government to give preference to locally manufactured goods and services in their procurement of information technology services.

Asor declared that the CPN Act makes it mandatory for all persons and organizations engaged or seeking to engage in the sale and use of computing facilities, provision of professional services, computer training and related services in Nigeria, should be registered and licensed by the body to carry out such activities.

“The Council is mandating all its members that are yet to acquire their current practicing licence to obtain them from the secretariat, in preparation for full enforcement of compliance to the Executive Order in support of local content in public procurement by government agencies.

“Only registered CPN members with valid  licence would be allowed to bid for IT contracts in all government agencies in compliance with the Executive Order 003.”

Asor further disclosed that the Council had commenced the implementation of the Executive Order 001, which bothers on promotion of transparency and efficiency in business environment, adding that “the Council has since started to achieve results as members can now complete the registration of their companies and are issued the licence to practice same day, once the relevant documents are made available to the secretariat online or offline.”

As part of its efforts to implement the approval of the inclusion of the Computer Professional Examination (CPE) into the scheme of service as agreed during the 33rd meeting of the National Council of Establishment, NCE, held in Jos in October, 2008. He said the Council had written to remind both the minister of education and Head of Service of the Federation to fully implement the recommendation by the Federal Executive Council.

The successful implementation of this recommendation he said would positively impact on members of the IT Profession because they will be accorded professional status in the public service and formal educational institutions as applicable to holders of ICAN profession.

For him, the approval of the recommended scheme of service for computer scientists/engineers with CPE certificate will bring sanity into the IT profession, checkmate activities of quacks and non professionals.

Meanwhile, the President said the response of tertiary institutions to the Council has started yielding results,  while some government agencies are now ready and willing  to work with Council in its regulatory role.

He further stated that the ongoing membership drive by the Council had increased their membership to 6,426 from the 36 states of the federation and FCT.

In his own address, the Registrar of the Council, Mr. Allwell Achumba disclosed that plans had reached an advanced stage to certify all university graduates on use of computer before their graduation.

Achumba noted that the council had already struck a deal with some universities  across the country  to make sure their undergraduates start writing the final stage of the Computer Professional  Examination, CPE before their graduation.

Achumba said the action followed the induction of computer science and related disciplines’ graduates of tertiary institutions with more universities inducted in the last two years.

 

 

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