Information and national development

Being Text of a Speech by His Excellency, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, [Sarkin Yakin Keffi], Executive Governor of Nasarawa State at the Official Commissioning of the Information Technology Project of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Abuja, March 12, 2002.

I am pleased to be invited to participate in the commissioning of the Internet and Information Technology Project of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. Indeed I am delighted to be part of this occasion because information is a sine qua non in all aspects of development in the 21st century.

Ever since the emergence of modern nation states, information has been recognized as an important tool for good governance. Consequently, governments all over the world have been concerned with ensuring that the public is informed about their activities and programmes. This concern has always translated into the setting up of various media of information by government and its agencies. The commissioning of the Internet and Information Technology Project today is one of such ventures.

I consider it relevant to use this occasion to stimulate discussion on the role of information in national development, poverty reduction and political education.

In the last quarter of the 20th century, the world witnessed an info-technological revolution. Propelled by advances in information and communications technology, this revolution ushered in a world of greater dataflow, computer inter-connectivity and the shrinking of national boundaries. The force fuelling this rapid transformation of remote and isolated information units into global inter-connected superhighways is Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Relying on advances in the development of the microchip and the computer, this revolution has completely re-structured the global socio-economic equations and led to the transformation of the world into a global, knowledge based society referred to as the "Global Village".

 I am happy to note that half way into the tenure of the Obasanjo administration, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation is responding to the realities of the "global village". Information has become an essential tool in the development process and in enhancing good governance and empowering people around the world. Nigeria cannot be an exception to this reality.

Indeed, information is power. And legitimate power can only flow from an informed citizenry. Thus creating access to the greatest source of information which is the Internet is a venture of no mean significance. Apart from providing opportunities for our citizens to be properly informed about the true activities of government, the resource we are commissioning today stands to provide knowledge for our youth and for the development of the nation.

Knowledge empowers an individual to form his or her own opinion, to act and transform conditions which assail him and thus lead to better quality decisions. It is thus important that we expose our citizens to adequate sources of information to enable them take rational decisions, both politically and economically.

The programmes and policies of government are designed for the benefit of the populace. Democratic governments ride into power on the crest of voters. These voters exercise their franchise in the hope that political leaders will fulfill their aspirations for better standards of living. In the course of pursuing an agenda for development, it is easy to forget the information component. Such oversights lead to misunderstanding of government programmes and policies. In extreme situations, this may lead to voter disenchantment and political turbulence.

In this regard, it is sad to note that in spite of the much that is being done to improve the state of infrastructure and social services in Nigeria by the federal and state governments, anti-democratic forces have been having the upper hand in the propaganda war for the soul of the nation. Pick just about any newspaper in this country today, including those funded from the public purse, and you will find that democratic governments especially the federal government is at the receiving end of unjustified criticisms. Even the successful completion of the national media tour organized by the federal government has not turned the tide of media hostility to democratic governments and institutions in the country.

It remains a puzzle why, in spite of the resources, human and material, available to the federal government, it has been difficult to contain the virulent manipulation of public information by enemies of democracy who seem to have penetrated most mass media organs in the country to discredit democratic institutions.

I know for sure that many of the actors who today enjoy much media limelight are the very people who plunged this country into the abyss from which we have been working hard to retrieve her back to the path of stability and development. I believe that the federal government in coordination with the states must sharpen the public information machinery to enlighten Nigerians on the progress being made across the country by our new democratic governments.

We certainly need vigorous opposition and criticism for democracy to thrive. But the current organized slander, manipulation and deliberate distortion of facts by anti-democratic forces must be fought vigorously. Otherwise these forces might succeed in dampening and weakening the confidence of Nigerians in democracy preparatory to stampeding the country back to dictatorship with all the harsh consequences this will entail for the nation.

We must stand up to defend democracy with all the vigour and resources at our disposal. The future of Nigeria depends on the success of our new democratic transition. The federal and state governments must invest in information and public enlightenment to strengthen the faith of Nigerians in the democratic process.

It is therefore heart warming that the Federal Ministry of Information has realized the sensibilities of information and has convinced the federal government to embark on this project.

The opportunities arising out of the information technology revolution are immense; and in convergence with a visionary political stimulant, we have a powerful tool with which we can use to transform the existing societal framework into a just and equitable one. It is well known that many people will prefer access to information and opportunities to charity in order to fight the conditions of poverty that confront them. We must expose our citizens to a plethora of information sources which will enable them to take decisions relevant to their economic needs.

In Nasarawa State, we realized the potential of information to create opportunities for our populace early in the life of our administration. In our first month in office, we put together a core group of experts to develop an Internet website for the state. Four months later, in November 1999, we launched our Website which can be accessed at www.nasarawastate.org. We thus became the first state in this democratic dispensation to embark on such a project.

Today, small and young as we are, Nasarawa state is one of only five states in Nigeria with an Internet presence and the only one to have such a facility in the North. Our website has provided a window of information and economic opportunities for the state both locally and internationally. We are daily inundated with emails from the international community seeking information about business contacts and opportunities in our state.

Realizing the value of this resource in our programme of economic development, the state government in partnership with ABG Communications Ltd., has commenced an expansion project that will see us establishing Internet Resource Centers in five (5) remote locations spread across the state. These resource centers will provide wireless access to our rural populace and serve as an avenue for us to further advertise the great economic potentials of the state.

Furthermore, we shall use these centers as computer and information technology training centers for our youth. Graduates of these centers will be encouraged to exploit the huge information technology market in the country for gainful employment.

Honourable Minister, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, permit me to raise an additional issue as I close this address. We are disturbed about the problem of access to the information superhighway by our rural populace. A while ago, I mentioned that Nasarawa state is in the process of establishing five rural based Internet Resource Centers. Ours is an indication of our concern to bring this resource to the rural areas where poverty is most endemic. In establishing this project, Distinguished Minister of Information and National Orientation, it is our hope that the federal government has given thought to providing Internet access to a majority of the Nigerian populace. Internet access is still a problem for many people who require this resource for their daily activities. Even where the facilities for access exist, telephone dial-up access can be very frustrating.

To bring the technology closer to the people, it is essential to consider the provision of community wireless access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The government, private sector and development agencies have an important role to play in improving access to ICT by functioning as facilitators. It must not be lost on us that comparative advantages in the economy of nations is today expressed as the ability of countries to use technology to efficiently acquire, organize, retrieve and disseminate information to support policy making and the development process. The danger in this framework is that countries that fail to use technology to their advantage will find that their economies and political systems will fall behind those that do.

The Federal Government, in taking this first step of providing Internet access for the Ministry of Information, is commencing a process that could leapfrog the country into the information society. For this to happen however, the Federal and State governments must plan a nationwide programme to connect all our tertiary and other educational and research institutions to the Internet. In addition, we must introduce the computer to all our secondary schools within the next five years to enhance computer literacy which is crucial to accessing the information superhighway. Information technology education is a must if we hope to catch up with the rest of the world.

Honourable Minister, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the federal government has the goodwill of the government and people of Nasarawa state as you embark on this journey.

It is therefore my pleasure and privilege to commission the Information Technology Project of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. It is our prayer that the project will contribute to the social, economic and political well-being of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you and God bless Nigeria.