President Buhari Inaugurates Presidential Council, Unveils E-Government Mechanism

President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the Presidential Council on Digital Economy and E-government in a bid to strengthen the use of technology in government activities.

The unveiling took place on Friday and the president promised that his administration would continue to take advantage of f digital technologies to transform every sector of the economy.

President Buhari directed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami to chair the Council on his behalf and give regular updates.

Members of the council were also tasked with working towards further strengthening the capacity of the government to develop, adopt and deploy digital technologies to make government more efficient and transparent, thereby improving Nigeria’s global standing in the ease of doing business index.

Buhari stated that the council, whose members have been arrived at after a painstaking and thorough process, would give the oversight needed to bring about a veritable structure for accelerating achievements in the digital economy and in the implementation of e-government in the country.

The 27-man committee is chaired by Pantami on behalf of the president and has the following individuals as members: Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, Governor of Gombe State; Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State; Abdullahi Sule, Governor of Nasarawa State; Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State and Senator Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State.

Other members are Dr Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning; Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of Civil Service of the Federation; Prof. Umar G. Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Nigerian Communications Commission; Prof. M.B Abubakar, Managing Director/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited; Dr Abimbola Alale, Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited and Engr Aliyu A. Aziz, Director General/CEO, National Identity Management Commission.

Also included are Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, Senior Special Assistant, (Digital Transformation) to the President; Engr Olufemi Olufeko, Director, e-Government Dept, Federal Ministry Of Communications and Digital Economy; A.B. Okauru, Director General, Nigeria Governors Forum; Prof. Simon Adesina Sodiya, President Nigeria Computer Society and Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).

Prof. Kabiru Bala, Representative of Academia and Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira; Prof. Nnenna Oti, Representative of the Academia and Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Owerri and Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Secretary and the Director-General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency are also included.

The others include Sungil Son, Country Director (KOICA), Dr Olufemi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to Hon. Minister of Communication & Digital Economy and Abubakar A. Dahiru, Special Assistant (Cyber Security & Digital Identity) to the Minister are also members of the Committee.