HOT SEAT
Our Technology Programme Will Spearhead Economic Development
We must particularly give credit to Godswill Akpabio who has chosen to work the younger generation of leaders. It goes to underscore the philosophy and spirit of his administration which is anchored on generational shift. It is, indeed, His Excellency’s way of demystifying administration, by proving that it is not an exclusive preserve of the older generation. I believe this is a sound administration policy that restores confidence in the youth”
This is how Mr Samuel Effanga, a statistician and commissioner for Governor Akpabio’s masterstroke in choosing to work with a youth studded government that drives the administration fatly, particularly on the information and communication technology highway.
The youngish but very dedicated and meticulous commissioner spoke with FRIDAY UDO, Ag. Editor , Daily, on this and other issues bordering on the Akpabio administration’s science and tech programmes, the ongoing technology park project; change of status of AKUTECH, science and technology education in Akwa Ibom among others. We serve the excerpts of this interview as our hot menu this week.
You appointment as commissioner was one of the political surprises of the year because you were never know to have been lobbying for the appointment. Were you excited or surprised?
Well, it could have been one of the surprises of that moment, but it was at the hand of God that I should be commissioner, it wouldn’t have happened.
But we must particularly give credit to Chief goodwill Akpabio who has chosen to work with the younger generation of leaders. It goes to underscore the philosophy and sprit of his administration which is anchored on generational shift.
It is, indeed, His Excellency’s way of demystifying administration. I believe this is a sound administration policy that restores confidence in the youth.
It goes to demonstrate commissioner in the government of Akwa state, have you at any pint felt that some of the youthful ones among us too can make it in government. In time past, such appointments were concentrated on Old frequently heard names; some of them retired.
So because His Excellency has express this confidence in people like us, I have personally taken the challenge to ensure that we do not disappoint him.
It is known that you initially to be a councilor in your local government area, but today you are a you never bargained for this?
No, this appointment does not run contrary to my vision. Right form the outset I could offer service in any capacity. I have always has the desire to be a political administrator. The truth is that whatever a man desire service, I will not just make you a councilor; rather I will place you where you can offer more tangible service and you will be more relevant. That is the way of God because He works in mysterious way.
From a civil servant to a political appointee who works directly under the governor, how did you adjust to the new position?
It s true this is a new political environment, but I can say it has not been very difficult to administration and service and it has always been my desire and wish that I would serve, so it adjust. What I needed do was acquaint myself with protocols in government. But. Most importantly. His Excellency, the governor, has been a great source of in spiration to me as a leadership model. So by following his ways, it becomes easy to fit into the administration’s structure which he has excellently designed. It‘s all about knowing the leader’s style of administration and understanding his vision.
The preceding administration headed by Obong victor Attah emphasized knowledgebased society that is technology driven. To give effect to this expression, that administration built the science and Technology Park and VADOC.
Does the present government intend to continue with those programmes and what dose it wish to add?
Government is a continuous process because it is not run as a personal property. So continuity is one key factor in achieving government’s objectives.
But the cardinal objective of this government is to develop science and technology to drive the economy. And this is the global trend which we cannot afford to suffer isolation. Our science and technology programme will spearhead research and development to drive the economy.
What king of science and Technology part did you inherit from the last administration?
We inherited a technology part that is ongoing. The job has been delayed because of some problems that government is looking into. Government feels the contractor has not really done done enough considering the huge amount that was invested in the project by government. The job has to be well defined.
Government has to know what has been done with the continuous injection of funds into the project and the question must be asked: what have you done with the fund that has been so far given. And where is the end of this job? We want to ensure that the job is not an open–ended kind of arrangement. So government is looking into those issues. Because the technology park was one of the major projects of the ministry, apart from the University of Technology.
You are mentioning the University Science and technology. Has the project become outmoded such that we now have a conventional university replacing AKUTECH which was largely bandied by the last administration in the state?
The present government reasoned that there were no facilities to operate the university of technology so it decided that it becomes a conventional university without fundamentally losing its science and technology content. The structures were not really on ground we had to face the fact.
Apart from that we are also maintaining a science laboratory for analyses of components and elements. We are now seeking accreditation for the laboratory so it can help our researchers attain their research goals.
Would you say the technology that can be completed and delivered for use and to the benefit of Akwa Ibom people?
Yes, the technology park will be completed. It is a project we need because this is the hub of our technological takeoff. In most developed economies you could have over 50 of such parks in one city alone. The concept of the park is well-defend except that some people still do not understand what a science park is.
We intend to organize seminars, very soon, to start sanitizing people to understand the need and uses of these facilities: the science park will provide the necessary enhancement and the conducive environment for the development of technology in the state. When we say creating an enabling environment, we are looking at a situation where the science park is complete and equipped so that if you have some inventive ideal, an innovation or a piece of creativity in technology you have a typical technology friendly environment where you can go and incubate the invention. The science park therefore provides the needed facilities for technology or what we call technology incubation. We believe that these facilities can attract investors. Already, there was a plan to have some cell phone and computer manufacturing companies come in here and establish factories that can producer cell as other ICT equipment.
We believe that by having these things produced here in our land, our scientists and technologists who will provide the needed manpower after the sustenance of these factories can acquire the technology of manufacturing ICT products. Apart from skill development, the envisaged production activities will provide thousands of jobs within the upstream and downstream sector of ICT manufacturing.
This process would also check capital flight and help develop our economy.
Sir, how come spite of all the drawing and design made toward attaining an ICT- compliant government a single policy like e-governance has eluded us in Akwa Ibom?
This administration is committed to actualizing the e-governance policy but we do not want to hurriedly do that. Rather, we are taking time to design the concept; we take time to design the programme so that during implementation we do not encounter any problem.
But before you achieve e-government you must put in place the necessary precondition that will make implementation effective. First, you must ensure that people who are going to be involved in the process have the basic ICT skill and also have access to computer. They should be able to appreciate the environment in which e-governance will operate. That is why one of the goals of the technology of the facilitate internet access in the state.
So some of the things we have done, in addition, include designing a programme where we will establish computer data banks and resource centers in all the local government headquarters, probably at the premises of the local government councils. Then we will establish sub networks which will be linked to all local government areas. We also intend to establish data centers in all the ministries and parastatals. We intend to have 20 ministries network, in preparation for the take-off of the e-governance.
We’re going to do aggressive training of staff aggressive training access to computer wares. We are looking at a situation where during the lifetime of this administration about 90 percent of the effective workforce would have acquired a personal computer. We have this compelling need for computer because it is required in modern day business, it is required in the ICT sector in fact, computer is used every where. So it is our target to ensure every ready worker has it people should even be able to have one, two or three just as some people are able to carry two or three cell phone now. So, in this direction government is also designing programmers that will enhance availability of the computers, probably and easy to carry around. We want our people to have it. We want our people to be able to access the internet, we want our people to be able be fully ICT –compliant.
There was a time it was believed that Akwa Ibom was ahead of most states in terms of ICT- compliance. But how people are beginning to prove that assertion. What is the true picture in the state?
We actually started well, but I don’t know how it came about –as if we were waiting for others to catch up, Akwa Ibom began to fall behind. It also appears that they were waiting for the science park to be ready. But what we are doing now is to deploy all available strategies and knowledge to enable us not only covers lost grounds but surpass other states in ICT readiness. Admittedly, the penetration was poor; as low as seven per cent in 2004. But now the situation has improved, people are embracing ICT. The awareness is growing.
Besides the local government based resource centers we are designing will further accelerate the pace of computer appreciation in the state. Imagine people traveling all the way from Ukanafun or Etim Ekpo to check WAEC results in Uyo, where as if these facilities were available in the local government headquarters they wouldn’t have take all the trouble to come to Uyo. And one of the advantages of these facilities is to spin-off development wherever they are locate because these facility to spin-off development wherever they are located because these facilities have the ability to also provide ancillary services. The facilities can generate some economic activities and engage the youth in intellectual development. This is also a way of checking crime because by the time a large number of the youthful population engages in ICT- related activities such as internet research their mind will not be pre-occupied with criminality.
Another strategy we have adopted in improving a programme to establish computer units in all secondary school in each local government area.