Monday, October 21, 2013

Opon Imo: Stakeholders berate Aregbesola on local content

Anthony Nwakaegho/DigitalSENSE Business News
 For playing down on local content development envisioned by the Federal Government to drive technology development, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders have berated the efforts of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State in the conception and execution of an Information Technology (IT) project for secondary schools in the state.
DigitalSENSE Business News recalls that Aregbesola had partnered a Chinese technology firm to produce copies of digital tablet known as 'Opon Imo' per-loaded with secondary schools' subjects and past questions from the West African School Certificate (WAEC), for teaching and learning in secondary schools across the state.
The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson had lauded the governor for the project but expressed her reservation that it lacked local content development since all its components were foreign made.
DigitalSENSE Business News recorded that the governor had admitted that 50,000 pieces of the device were imported from China, and posited that the remaining 100, 000 pieces would be developed in Nigeria by RLG Communications that has mobile phone manufacturing plant in Osun State.
A Lagos based IT analyst, Durojaiye Onibudo,in a chat with news men has  argued that  the action of the governor negates the  local content development initiative  as the governor  defaulted by contracting 50,000 pieces to a foreign company in China and  did the same by contracting the balance of 100, 000 to another foreign company, even though it has a base in Nigeria.
 “The Opon-Imo initiative is commendable, but government failed to follow through with the goal for local content. How can Osun State fail to form partner with Nigerian local manufacturers of computers and application providers? Why China and why RLG Communications when the country boasts of bigger and stronger players? Why did the Osun State not open the entire process to competitive and transparent bid?" Onibudo lamented.
DigitalSENSE Business News recounts that the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the government agency responsible for Information Technology (IT) implementation in the country, had urged government at all levels to join in the made-in-Nigeria campaign, by promoting local content in the ICT sector.


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pix:Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State

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