Can you tell us the thing you have done in the past before your appointment as the Commissioner?
I am a product of the University of Ibadan, where I read Computer Science as my first degree and Crop Engineering at the Master’s degree before I proceeded to the famous Silsoe College, Cranfield University, England where I obtained a Ph.D. in System Process Engineering in 1992. Interestingly, my PhD was more of computer simulations. I was writing a lot of computer codes. So, I got heavily involved in computer simulations and all the rest. After my PhD, I went to do one year course in computer analysis. I thereafter went into employment, I worked with Citibank, later with Core Technology Support Group and lastly Morgan Stanley Inc, New York before coming back to Nigeria as CIO of Oando, before I was appointed as the Commissioner in 2005.
Talking about Computer Processing, Data Processing, Data Capturing, Data collation, what is the effect of all this in the development of our nation.
The truth of the matter is that without data, a nation would not be able to develop at the right pace. You might develop but would not be at the right pace and actually it would be more expensive. So it is not that we don’t have data in Nigeria, of course we have data but it’s just that we don’t store the data appropriately and therefore retrieval is the problem. Apparently, when we were born, we were born into one hospital or the other. Somebody wrote that data down. Probably, our father wrote it somewhere. This is to show you that we have data in the country, I believe someone must have written such data, but how to store it is the problem and eventual retrieval. If we don’t draw data, it is difficult to have analysis. So without analyzing situation, saying if I do this, what would be the outcome, it would not be easy to develop. You can’t develop without analyzing situation. Invariably, with your analysis, it is easy to draw a parameter. Though you can assume but that may be ridiculous, whereas if you have a data, it would be easier for you to draw your analysis without been ridiculous. The bane of our society is the unavailability of accurate data. If we have any vital documents, it is not possible to retrieve such. That is why data processing and data capturing have been given priority in Lagos state, a situation that provides opportunity for retrieval of vital documents of events that happened in our various ministries in the state. This would also assist the state to plan and achieve its desired objective at the right and appropriate time.
How can you advance this cause to the national level bearing in mind that Lagos is rapidly developing?
There is a forum where all the Commissioners in charge of Science and Technology meet and brainstorm on what we do in our different states. Though, Federal Government has directed that all states should have Ministry of Science and Technology. All I know is that we share ideas particularly with the states that have Ministry of Science and Technology. It is now left with each state to go back to their different state to go and implement based on their needs. Technology doesn’t galvanize any nation. What galvanises an organisation, institution or the states is to understand the process. What is important is that you have a plan of what you want to achieve, or else technology can be used in a wrong way. The moment you can be able to identify your plan and aim of using such technology, the better. This is what I want to do, how I do it better, faster, repeatedly and effectively. I would give you example, when I was working at Morgan Stanley; those of us that work in financial institutions would understand what we called on the street. The truth of the matter is that everybody has MBA, different professional certificates and what have you. All the companies there can afford to employ the best hands to manage their companies but the way to distinguish your self is how you are able to come to the market quickly. What we do at Morgan Stanley is to ensure that we have the most robust technology. Everything is automated. In fact, I do most of the things I wanted from the house. I don’t need to go to the office unless I wish to see faces of some friends because I have the system that goes to my office. If you phone my office, I can pick it up in my house without even knowing where I was. I can see my computer; I can see my systems right in my house. So, why do I need to be in my office? So the essence is to just understand what you need to do, so do we need to achieve. What they would tell you is that, we intend to establish so so mortgage industry, please don’t tell us what you have but simply discuss how we can achieve the desired result.
Once they have told you what they want as employers, your concern should be how to look for necessary technology that would enable you perform to the standard expected. So some may prefer to employ 1,000 people to carry out the task, we can employ just 47 people and achieve what it is expected of us. It is left for you to determine how you go about it with the necessary technology. Technology however makes the system faster. Imagine the process whereby a particular person is in charge of signing a contract paper of over 1, 000 people. For God sake, let us imagine how many days it would take a single man to sign 1,000 papers bearing in mind that the person in discuss is a human being who would take time to eat, attend to call of nature and other things. And there is possibility that if he signs like 50 letters, he gets tired and relaxes, and the signature might not be the same again. This disturbs other people who are ready for work, whereas, the man is delaying them with the signing of the cheque. All these lapses have been cleverly taken care of by application of data storage and processing. So instead of getting a cheque instantly, its taking days. Mind you, the contractors are not happy because it creates unnecessary delay which the application of data have taken care of. The contractor would call the governor; we have not gotten our cheque as agreed. The governor would say what’s happening, your cheque has been processed and would not know that the paper is stocked somewhere unattended to. The man signing it is a human being. The truth of the matter is that you would display some works, but you create another. What is important is continuous education so that you can keep the change
A lot of us came to know about the Ministry of Science and Technology; we don’t see you on streets and roads but still hear the acronym MOST. What then is attached with that MOST?
At this juncture, I think we have to be careful especially when it comes to being practically noticeable like others. Mind you, we have different responsibility and functions. I can tell you that the effect of our ministry is felt by all the ministries, agencies and parastatals in the state. The essence is that our ministry’s function is very simple, to automate the activities of government. Make it easier to deal with people. It can be narrowed down to that. It means our ministry works with all agencies of government.
So being on the street doesn’t matter but our functions in streamlining activities of government should be our utmost concern. Also, hitherto, people complained of not getting their letter of promotion on time, which I think the ICT has taken care of, and enable people get their letters fast.
I think the introduction of ICT in Lagos State has been a contributory factor to the development of the state.
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Quelle/Source: Nigerian Compass, 08.05.2011
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