By Adeyinka Adeniran
Software developers and programmers have urged the government to create a central information database management to harmonise the information and data of all Nigerians as against the case where different government agencies and bodies create separate and independent database almost at everytime the need arises.
They reasoned that a centralised information database will help greatly in tackling insecurity and even help government in proper planning for the citizens.
The professionals and experts spoke in their separate remarks at the Software Developer Summit which held at the House of Chiefs, Oyo State House of Assembly Complex, Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The event organised by the Aduke Benson Youth Empowerment Foundation had in attendance over 300 programmers and software developers mostly youths from various tertiary institutions in the country.
Speaking, Chief Executive Officer, Netmetrix technology, Prince Ademola Benson called on the government to come up with policy that will allow the sector unleash its potentials to developing the nation.
He noted that programmers and software developers can greatly help proffer solutions to the myriads of challenges facing the country particularly in the areas of insecurity, food production, data and information management, health among others sectors in the country.
Benson who is the Chairman, Aduke Benson Foundation said government has only been paying lip service to the use of technology in running governance despite its huge potentials.
He said the summit is to create an enabling environment for the programmers and software developers to showcase the stuff of their professional especially for national development.
He said “For example when we are talking about insecurity, what we just need is to have a proper database management solution. Over the last few years, we have been battling with NIN. How many programmers are involved? Is NIN an indigenous software? Look at the BVN that we have been doing, how far have they moved? How many local programmers are involved or did they just get international programmers. Some people just used the software to enrich their pockets.
“Look at our international passport? Why re-issuing? And why capturing again and again? That means we don’t have a strong database network. If you look at the likes of US, UK, Canada, they use tech systems, that is programmers, with a good database in place.
“In the areas of security, I was with a former Inspector General of Police years back and I told him we have a solution to insecurity, telling him that when suspects are arrested, they should capture their bio-data including finger prints, facial capturing and that we should have a central database network, the IGP at the the time told me Nigeria was not ripe for it. Many years later, is it that we are still not ripe for it? It is because most of our leaders are not IT inclined.
“For us to move forward as a nation , we need to give high recognition for programmers and software developers. They can have regular summit like this, call programmers and assign tasks to them amd let’s see how they will provide solution.”
Also speaking, a Digital Consultant, Yemi Pidan identified access to electricity, data and poor internet service, poor online payment platforms, unenabling environment as some of the major challenges faced by software developers and programmers in the country.
He said “in countries where programmers create solutions, this is what happens, the programmer is not hungry. He is not worried or bothered with what to eat, so he is calm and can come up with solutions even if it will take him a year, he is on it until he creates it. But, in this part of the world where most times people need to struggle for survival, it distracts programmers from doing what they should be doing.
“As programmers, we are interested in creating a robust database for Nigeria. Database that containers the details of every single person that is on Nigerian soil so that if anything happens anywhere, we can trace them, we can trace everything about them and that will help us address security challenges because people just go out there, commit crimes and go scot-free.
“We have solutions we are building at the moment which is in the interest of Nigeria, in the interest of the government and we will be very happy if the government can pay attention to what we do and listen to us.”
Speaking on the essence of the programme, Secretary, Aduke Benson Foundation, Mrs Rachael Benson said the summit was organized to create a hub, an ecosystem where programmers and software developers can come and flourish, where they can access the tools they need to build solutions that Nigeria need to move forward.
She added that the NGO is concerned about awakening the youths to their full potentials and how to give them a voice instead of using the internet for fraud among other social vices.
