The National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) has equipped more than 20 higher institutions in Nigeria with virtual libraries.
This was made known by the agency during a courtesy visit to its Abuja headquarters by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) led by its Director-General, Professor Mohammed Ladan Tawfiq.
According to the agency’s Director-General, Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, one of the aims of the agency is to drive research and support institutions of learning by providing technology-driven infrastructures that will further help such institutions to achieve their goals, said the Director-General of NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.
NITDA sees these interventions as part of its corporate social responsibility, as well as a way to strategically engage and collaborate with these institutions, and would be willing to extend same to the NIALS, said Abdullahi in response to a request for NITDA’s support by the NIALS.
The NITDA’s boss who was represented by Director, Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions (ITIS), Dr Usman Gambo Abdullahi, assured that the agency has a history and a sense of commitment to supporting research and learning centres.
Abdullahi said, “NITDA’s major focus is to regulate and develop ICT in ministries, departments and agencies, and your institute has so far met all requirements for the agency’s support and intervention.
He added that with all round the clock power supply for higher institutions of learning, the agency has provided over 100 PCs to bolster learning and research in several academic centres.
He also revealed that the agency has provided virtual libraries to over 20 institutions in 2019 alone while assuring the team from NIALS that with the support of the DG, the NITDA will provide an IT Training Centre for NIALS to accommodate more IT knowledge-based students.
Professor Tawfiq on the other had pointed to the fact that under his leadership, the institute has begun online courses to train Lawyers and Judges in an ideal ICT environment hence it becomes expedient to seek for NITDA’s intervention, technical guidance and collaboration.
H said, “We need NIDTA’s technical guidance to drive our purpose for the online courses we started in training judges and lawyers in an ideal online environment.”
Prof Tawfiq revealed that the institute has in recent times been showcasing NITDA’s activities and guidelines through its platform, he, however, implored the agency to provide adequate ICT tools and facilities to enable them do more.
The Director eGovernment Development and Regulation Department Dr Vincent Olatunji who was also present at the meeting applauded the NIALS’ boss for initiating step to partner NITDA while also adsvising institute to set up an ICT department which the technical group from NITDA can always work with in order to effectively support the NIALS including helping to ensure cyber-security within their system.
Head of Legal Unit at NITDA, Mr Emmanuel Edet also said that NITDA has worked in partnership with several institutions in the provision of legal research for lawyers and judges. He noted that the agency has also provided capacity building by way of giving out Masters degree scholarships for legal students to enable them effectively address the new and expansive field of law IT.
Edet added that the agency is in partnershiiip with the University of Lagos, Bayero University and others in capacity buildings and scholarships.
Both NITDA and NIALS also reached an agreement to constitute a working committee to solidify and hasten the institute’s request and build a virile inter-agency relationship to sealed be in an MoU.
