Bosun Tijani
The new Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, C&DE, Dr. Bosun Tijani, says Nigeria, under his watch as minister C&DE will compete with other countries digitally.
Tijani made the pledge during a formal reception organised in his honour by the Ministry in Abuja.
The minister, who took over from Prof. Isa Pantami, was among the 45 ministers sworn in by President Bola Tinubu.
Meanwhile, he charged all heads of parastatals and departments to hit the ground running.
He also promised to initiate policies and regulations that can protect Nigerians from devices that contradict these technologies and transform the industry.
According to him, he would build on the gains recorded so far in the Ministry through effective collaboration with key stakeholders in the industry.
He said: “I think it is always good to also take stock as well. You cannot improve what you do not know. It is impossible for us to move forward if we do not assess what we have accomplished.
“Our goal is not to come up with policies from the public sector, whether it is from this ministry or not, that will put people in pain before they can access government services.”
On his style of administration, he said that the ministry was open to collaborate with other countries, adding that there is no country that can become strong technically without collaboration.
“The minister can formulate policies and regulations but if we are not working closely with industry, the things we want to see will never be built to the point where prosperity can come to our nation.
“If we do not collaborate with countries all over the world, we are going to be limited by what is available at the minute in terms of knowledge.
“We are going to be partnering with the best organisations and institutions in the world. So, part of our challenge is how do we connect people to opportunities so that they can build?”
“This ministry is critical to unlocking opportunities for our people regardless of where they are. We are the face of the ministry which means, we have to update and upgrade our skills, ensure that we are connected to modern knowledge, but most importantly, ensure that there is dignity in everything,” he said.
Among the seven agencies under the Ministry include: Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, NIGCOMSAT, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Galaxy Backbone, GBB, and Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, National Identity Management Commission, NIMC.
