National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has revealed that since the inception of the IT clearance policy, a total of N13 billion has been raked into the federal government’s coffer.
Speaking on Thursday at a press conference in Abuja, director general NITDA Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami said the IT clearance is about saving cost and bringing about sanity in the procurement of government IT infrastructure and services.
Giving further highlights of his achievements during his two years in office, the DG said, “we realized that IT sector needs to be regulated. Promoting the local content cannot be achieved unless the IT sector is regulated.
“So, NITDA has been the IT clearing house for Nigeria.
“The IT clearance has save huge amount for Nigeria. NITDA was able to save N13 billion for the Federal Government”
As a major achievement of his tenure in the last two years, he emphasized that bringing sanity to the IT sector is what he considers as his signature achievement, particularly in the public sector.
According to him, “Overpricing and inclusion of components not necessary in IT projects and procurement has been the bane of the public sector and a means of syphoning public funds by public officers,” he said.
He therefore enjoin the populace especially the journalists to investigate IT procurement and services to ascertain if due process had been followed to the letter by the ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals.
He urged them to bring notices where there are breaches of government directive to the agency for proper sanctions of erring establishments.
He noted that failure of any government institution to obey the Federal Government’s order is criminal and liable to sanction.