Information and Technology (IT) professionals in Nigeria have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prioritise Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the country’s quest for a revamped economy.

They also advocated a new tax regime for imported software.

Led by the President/Chairman-in-Council of Computer Professionals (Registration Council) of Nigeria (CPN), Prof. Charles Uwadia, on a congratulatory visit to Buhari in Abuja, yesterday, they experts said “this has become necessary if the country must measure up with developed nations” in the area of technology.

Uwadia, in his speech, thanked the president for recognising the importance of digitisation with the renaming of the Ministry of Communication as Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

He however, called for the effective implementation of the digital economy.

But to achieve this, the professionals appealed to Buhari to direct Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to priortise the computerisation of their key processes and activities. They stressed that automation of all government operations starting with the front end could be completed in one year.

At least, a recognised IT professional must be a member of the boards and councils of all MDAs to accelerate the nation’s move towards a digital economy by ensuring appropriate and effective deployment of IT for governance, they suggested.

The Uwadia-led team, which included the president of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Adesina Sodiya; Director-General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Danazumi Mohammed; Provost, College of Fellows, CPN, Prof. Adenike Osofisan; the Director-General, Delta State Innovation Hub, Dr. Chris Uwaje, among others, also canvassed support for IT professionalism in the country.

The team sought presidential intervention for the recognition of computer professional examination certificates, disclosing that the office of the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF) had been handling the recognition process since 2008.

According to them, recognised professionals must be the head of all government IT departments and units at all tiers if government.

“A major requirement for appointing an individual as director (or its equivalent) should be CPN/NCS membership,” they demanded.

The experts pleaded for enhanced support for local content development and youth employment.