Young Nigerians are blessed with crazy and disruptive ideas, what they require is mentorship, guidance and an enabling environment to thrive, the Honourable Minister, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FIIM has said.

The visionary Minister made this assertion today while addressing a delegation from International Business Machines (IBM), who paid a working visit to the Ministry’s Headquarters, Abuja.

The tech giants were at the Ministry to explore partnership which is aimed at promoting education and skills development for Nigerian Digital Natives.

Dr Pantami used the opportunity to commend IBM for upholding high ethical standards and pointed out that Government alone cannot be employers of labour, stressing that, the Ministry under his watch is coming up with a broad policy that will focus more on creating jobs outside the government.

The Minister further pledged the Ministry’s 100% commitment to work with IBM, stating that the vision of the Ministry is not just to produce job seekers, but rather, job providers.

Source: Mr Yusuf Abubakar, Personal Assistant (New Media) to The Minister

The Honourable Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS and leader of the Nigerian delegation to the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) 2019, has congratulated the winner of the startup innovation competition, Abdulkarim Bashir. The young Nigerian defeated 750 other contestants from 73 countries at the biggest technology and innovation show in the Middle East, Africa and Asia with his Artificial Intelligence security solution Chiniki Guard, aimed at detecting and alerting business owners of security breaches in their shops.

In the same vein, the Minister commended the efforts of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for its relentless support, encouragement and motivation by providing sponsorship for the country’s young innovators to the event. An ecstatic Pantami also praised the immense contributions of the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE), a subsidiary arm of NITDA, towards the development of indigenous technology innovation in Nigeria.

“NITDA as regulator of the IT Sector has continued to empower, promote and invest in young talent in the industry through the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE) in a bid to drive the President’s vision for technological advancement in Nigeria. This is a national success worthy of celebration as our efforts have begun yielding the desired results. The success is a clear testimony of the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in promoting our youths and other Nigerians as prioritised by the Executive Orders 003 and 005.” Dr Pantami further stated that “We will continue to support and encourage Local Content Development and Promotion in our determination to transform our economy from a resource-based to a knowledge-based society”

The Minister has directed NITDA and OIIE to continue to monitor and support the winner and other tech startups and ensure the deployment of their solutions in Nigeria.

Signed
Uwa Suleiman (Mrs)
Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications
9th October 2019

The attention of the Federal Ministry of Communications has been drawn to the recent spate of rejecting Corps Members posted on National service by some Parastatals under its supervision. The Honourable Minister of Communications Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) FNCS, FBCS, FIIM has therefore, directed that all Departments and Agencies under his purview must comply with the provisions of the law regarding the NYSC scheme.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the objective of inculcating the spirit of selfless service to the community, encourage and develop ties among youths and to emphasise the spirit of oneness and brotherhood in all Nigerians irrespective of cultural or social background. It is in pursuant of this objective that the Federal Government mandated all Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to make adequate provision for Youth Corps Members to carry out their mandatory national assignment.

The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, is particularly mindful of the fact that the future of our great country depends on the youths and therefore, they must be equipped for the critical role that lies ahead. To this end, the Honourable Minister of Communications has initiated a policy to ensure corps members are equipped with adequate entrepreneurial skills at the end of their service year to properly empower and position them as entrepreneurs instead of job seekers. The Honourable Minister of Communications hereby directs that with immediate effect, all Agencies and Parastatals under the supervision of his Ministry must:

1. Provide opportunities for an appreciable number of Youth Corps members within their capacities in their regional and Head offices annually, with adequate arrangements for their renumeration;
2. Give special attention to graduates with ICT – related qualifications;

• Ensure the effective use of their time by posting them to relevant Departments/Units/Sections of the organization; and

1. Plan and execute special ICT Entrepreneurial skills capacity building programmes for serving Corps Members.

The Honourable Minister of Communications is confident that these measures will be pivotal to the realisation of this administration’s Next Level Agenda of building a prosperous and globally competitive economy for the benefit of all Nigerians.

Source: Press Unit, Federal Ministry of Communications

08/10/2019

The Honourable Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FIIM has disclosed that Nigeria is undergoing a trial phased in her quest to deployed 5G technology in the country, championed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with relevant security agencies.

The Next level champion made this disclosure today as a speaker, during the “GITEX Showdown Debate with audience participation; are we at risk of the next cyber-pearl-harbour?”.

Seeing the recent success recorded in the first 45 days in office as the Honourable Minister of Communications, Federal Republic of Nigeria, in which contribution of ICT to GDP surpassed Oil and Gas, all SIM Cards in circulation in Nigeria registered, 35% Broadband Penetration recorded, foundation for Digital transformation being put in place, the Ambassador of Nigeria to the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency, Amb Mohammed Dansanta Rimi has commended His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing a young ICT professional to head the IT Industry.

The issue of improperly registered SIM Cards had been going on for the past seven (7) years, but this time around, within forty five (45) days, we were able to solve the menace, most of the telecom operators were planning to see me, I refused to see them and directed them to get back on track first, the Honourable Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FIIM has said.

The tireless energetic Minister made this assertion today while making his remarks during a meeting held with a delegation from the World Bank Group, led by the Country Director (Nigeria), Mr Shubham Chaudhuri held at the Ministry's Headquarters, Abuja.

The attention of the Federal Ministry of Communications (FMC), has been drawn to reports of widespread harassment of young Nigerians with personal computers, tablets or phablets in public places. These reports indicate that young persons are generally regarded as fraudsters by officers of security agencies if found with such devices in their possession and subsequently subjected to varied forms of harassment and in some cases outright extortion.

The Ministry notes with dismay, this unfortunate turn of events as we celebrate the growing and bubbling technology eco-system in Nigeria that enables young persons to learn various skills ranging from software engineering to varied forms of entrepreneurship by simply accessing online tools and content on these devices. We are aware that several other persons have engaged in nefarious activities utilising computers and similar devices, we must however be careful not to paint all young Nigerians with a similar brush. At this time, we commend the efforts of some law enforcement agencies, particularly the approach of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in intelligence gathering and subsequent apprehension of these unscrupulous elements who use computing systems to commit cybercrimes.

It should be further noted that, many young Nigerians have contributed significantly to the impressive growth of the Nigerian economy and have created employment for youth in Nigeria.The digital economy in Nigeria has continued to soar thereby giving impetus to the growth of ICT as a major segment of the economy. It would therefore be counterproductive to stifle this sector of the economy by labelling every young Nigerian with a computing device as a fraudster.

It is in this light that the Federal Ministry of Communications frowns at the current profiling and harassment of young Nigerians and therefore admonishes security agencies to be circumspect in these situations. We understand the need for proactivity to protect the society, however this must be done credibly while recognising the fundamental human rights of every citizen of Nigeria. If these situation goes unchecked, it will dampen the vigorous attempt at diversifying the economy and rather push more young energies underground with catastrophic consequences.

The Ministry is committed to working closely with parastatals under her supervision, particularly the National Information Technology Development Agencies (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). We will also work with relevant security agencies, Hubs and all groups promoting digital capacity building in Nigeria to ensure that such incidents are completely eliminated and that all hands are on deck to promote the growth of a healthy eco-system supportive of young Nigerians and creating opportunities to harness their energies.

The Federal Ministry of Communications will keep working assiduously to foster the growth of a knowledge-based economy and facilitate ICT as a key tool in the transformation of Nigeria in the areas of job creation, economic growth and transparency in governance.

Signed
Uwa Suleiman (Mrs)
Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications
October 1st 2019

In line with the directives of the Honourable Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS FBCS MCPN, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has ensured that all improperly registered SIM card numbers have been blocked.  

This was as a result of Dr Pantami’s directives that no improperly registered SIM card number should remain active beyond 11:59pm of Wednesday, 25^th of September, 2019. Subsequently, according to the report submitted by the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC on Thursday, 26^th September, a total of 2,277,311 improperly registered lines have been blocked. As earlier reported, 6,830,249 lines have been revalidated since the directive was given. Dr Pantami has reiterated the need for all improperly registered SIM cards to remain blocked until they are properly registered.

This achievement within 36 days of Dr Pantami’s assumption of office is unprecedented. The Honourable Minister wishes to sincerely appreciate the Regulator and the Telecom Operators for working hard to carry out the directive in record time. He urges them to redouble their efforts in ensuring that the momentum is sustained.

The Federal Ministry of Communications is collaborating with the relevant parastatals and security Agencies to ensure that no stone is left unturned in ensuring that the security of lives and property in the nation is not compromised through the use of SIM card numbers. Pursuant to this, Dr Pantami has directed that the profiles of persons linked to crime, aided and abetted by the use of SIM cards, should be promptly provided to the relevant security agencies when requested and a copy be sent to him for monitoring.

The Ministry will continue to work with relevant parastatals and security agencies in the background to ensure that SIM card numbers are not used as a platform for committing crime.

Source: Press Unit, Federal Ministry of Communications

Leveraging on the fact that Nigeria is a haven for ICT investment, blessed with a youthful population that are digital natives and also with the intent of exposing Nigerian Startups to global opportunities, the Honourable Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS FBCS, FIIM is at Dubai to hold a meeting with representatives of Dubai World Trade Centre, organizer of Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX).

The Honourable Minister, a Next Level champion is expected to lead Nigeria’s participation to the global event with the aim of Networking with IT Professionals, woo Foreign Direct Investment and expose Nigeria's potentials to the World.

GITEX is an annual consumer computer and electronics trade show, exhibition, and conference that takes place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the 2019 Edition is with the theme “Synergizing the Mind and Technology Economy”.

Source: Mr. Yusuf Abubakar, Personal Assistant (New Media) to The Minister

The Honourable Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has hailed ICT’s contribution GDP in the second quarter. In the report released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the contribution of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) surpassed that of Oil and Gas in the second quarter of 2019.

The report, released on Tuesday 2^nd September, 2019, observed that the country’s GDP grew by 1.94% (year-on-year) in real terms in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the second quarter of 2018, which recorded a growth of 1.50%. Furthermore, the non-oil sector contributed 91.18% to the nation’s GDP in the second quarter of 2019 as opposed to the 8.82% contributed to total real GP by the oil sector. Particularly, the ICT sector contributed 13.85% to total nominal GDP in the second quarter of 2019 which is much higher than the 11.22% contributed in the same period in 2018.

The Honorable Minister observed that the significant contribution of the ICT sector to the GDP is as a result of the concerted efforts of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, especially the manner in which the implementation of the administration’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) is being pursued. These efforts, he said, led to a sustained focus on growing the non-oil sector of the economy, especially ICT and the results witnessed are testimonies of impact of these efforts. 

The Honorable Minister reiterated the Communication Ministry’s commitment to the economic diversification efforts of the present administration and called on all stakeholders to support Mr President’s laudable initiatives aimed at taking Nigeria to the next level.

Source: Press Unit, Ministry of Communications