FOR Minister Adebayo Shittu, saddled with the responsibility of over seeing the Communications ministry, experts have hinged his success on continuity of policies and processes laid down by his predecessor.
In a chat with The Guardian, the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Lanre Ajayi, an engineer, said it has become important for the ministers, including communications, to have policy consistencies.
Ajayi urged the new minister to build on what his predecessor had done.
“This is not limited to the technology ministry alone, the new ministers should look at what is on ground and build on it. No need to re-invent the wheel. This is because it will draw us back”, he stated.
Making reference to the Communications Technology sector, Ajayi said the minister should look at the National Broadband Plan, which is the major thing now, identify the challenges and gaps if there are, resolve them and ensure faster implementation.
Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said the new ministers must understand the workings of their predecessors.
“They should take a cue from that and set a bench mark for themselves. For instance in the technology sector, the former Minister, Dr. Omobola Johnson, did extremely well, so what is needed is continuity so that we can move forward at a very fast pace. The new minister need not re-invent the wheel, they should study what is on ground and build on it”, he stated.
Adebayo, also an engineer, however, tasked the Federal Government on creating an enabling environment.
The ALTON Chairman maintained that government has no business in business, “what is required of them is to create that environment that will enable business and attract investors.”
Adebayo agreed that the ministers are coming at a time the economy is facing serious crises, “but this is the more reason they must focus on the job and put in their very best to move the country forward.”
Charging all the ministers, Chairman, Mobile Software Solution and a former President, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Chris Uwaje, said for the new ministers to succeed, it is critical that they must have mandatory technology application.
While commending President Mohammadu Buhari for streamlining of the ministerial office within his new cabinet, Uwaje described the move as a constructive action in the right direction.
