President Bola Tinubu is to head a Committee that will implement digital public infrastructure in the country.
George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) stated this while inaugurating the Presidential Committee on the Implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Abuja on Tuesday.
The SGF said that the Committee’s core mandate is to ensure a robust, coordinated and legally-compliant implementation of DPI that aligns with Nigeria’s development goals.
Akume, who was represented by Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, emphasised the importance of the DPI in promoting Nigeria’s digital economy.
He stated that the ”DPI is the key to unlocking new avenues for growth, creating jobs, improving public service delivery and empowering our citizens. To achieve this vision, we must establish a well-coordinated and robust governance structure to drive its implementation”.
He also charged the Presidential Committee to work assiduously to provide necessary strategic direction and coordination of the seamless integration of the three core pillars of the DPI, which are Digital Identity, Financial Payments and Data Exchange, to foster innovation and evidence-based decision making in governance.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), while speaking at the event, reiterated the role of NIMC in improving the overall quality of life of Nigerian citizens through a digital publication structure.
‘We acknowledge our full responsibilities to contribute meaningfully to advance economic growth, enhance citizen engagement and improve overall quality of life through DPI. NIMC pledges her full support and cooperation on this noble endeavour, and together we shall work diligently to ensure the implementation of DPI in Nigeria’’, she said.
Kashifu Abdullahi, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), harped on the critical importance of unifying Government databases to facilitate seamless data exchange and enhance the overall life event experience for Nigerian citizens.
Read also: Tinubu arrives in Lagos for ECOWAS 50th anniversary celebration
Premier Ojwoh, Managing Director, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), also noted the need to build teams to solve local problems on identity management and financial payments.
According to him, ‘’NIBSS has been working collaboratively with NIMC to verify National Identity Numbers and Bank Verification Numbers to ensure financial Payment and secure transactions by linking their database for more efficient results.”
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is expected to serve as Member/Secretariat to the Presidential Committee, that also includes the Head of Civil Service of The Federation as member.
The high-powered Committee also has Attorney General of The Federation and Minister of Justice, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, as well as Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy as members.
Other members include Minister of Interior, Minister of Budget and National Planning, the Director-General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
