The Nigerian government through the ministry of communication is taking active steps towards the inauguration of an ICT University, the latest step being the inauguration of a 25-man ICT University implementation committee.
Speaking in support of the university, Adebayo Shittu, Nigeria’s communication minister, said the ICT industry is the fastest growing sector of the Nigerian economy with an annual growth of 24.42 per cent. He said the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry pioneered the growth in addition to technological development, sound policy and regulatory frameworks.
He revealed that the establishment of an ICT university is one of the ways for Nigeria’s to go to the next step in the growth of its ICT sector. He revealed that the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) which is being supervised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would be converted to the ICT University. The minister stressed the enormous potentials of the DBI. The institution has campuses in each of the country’s six geo-political zones.
The ministry is planning that the ICT University would begin classes at the next academic session which was why the inaugurated committee was given till middle of July to submit its report.
Going by the utterance of the minister, the university would be driven by the ICT industry and would help in the provision of specialist knowledge and expertise in Telecommunications, Internet of Things, Cyber Security, Robotic embedded systems, Computer forensics, digital media and entertainment technology.
