By Chimezie Godfrey
As part of efforts towards positioning the Digital Economy sector on the path of sustainable national development, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has tasked the Board and Management Staff of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to continuously engage in critical thinking in order to solve complex problems that will benefit Nigerians and humanity at large.
Pantami said this during a Ministerial Training on “Skills For Successful Leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, organized by the Ministry .
“There is no problem that exists in the world that has no solution, globally, there is non. The only challenge is being able to engage in critical thinking”, Pantami maintained.
He highlighted customer centricity, long-term thinking, passion for invention, and surrounding one’s self with mentors as key to staying relevant and impactful.
The Minister said “Create the future and be the driver of it. When hiring, look at taking-in people with discipline, expertise, capacity to deliver and do away with sentiments”.
While urging the participants not to compromise their core values, the Digital Economy Boss advised that engaging in compromises attract negative results in the long run and so, it should be avoided.
Prof. Pantami took time to explain the modus operandi of managing success, failure, crisis, and leadership in the work space, adding that facts should always precede emotions.
According to the Minister, leadership is about being brave and taking hardcore decisions, especially when it is for the good of those concerned, he however, stressed that they should be taken after critical evaluations of the subject matter.
“As a leader if you want to be successful don’t be worried about today, rather be worried about the legacies you would leave behind.”
“Always be consistent in your determination to do the right things and have a high level of decisiveness”, the Minister admonished.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, who welcomed the participants, expressed delight in the theme of the training which he said aims at equipping the Board and Management Staff of the organization for growth and resilience in the fourth Industrial Revolution.
Inuwa particularly appreciated the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, for taking the initiative to share his knowledge and expertise on the subject matter; the knowledge sharing initiative, Inuwa said he has benefited from for twenty-five years.
The DG emphasized that the fourth Industrial Revolution is upon Nigeria, affirming that it presents great opportunities for leapfrogging Nigeria in the digital economy.
“To seize the opportunities that abound, we need to fully equip ourselves with relevant knowledge, skills, expertise and tools in order to position Nigeria to create and capture value from the fourth Industrial Revolution”, Inuwa stressed.
He described the Minister’s leadership over the years as instrumental to the successes recorded by the Agency, noting that it is a golden opportunity for Board members and Management Staff to grow faster in their service delivery, especially as they are part of the training session which is to be handled by the Minister himself.
Inuwa said “when the Honourable Minister formulated the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), he directed us to implement and with his guidance, all the force-set, that is, from the mindset, skill-set to the look and feel of the agency are all his initiatives we implemented”.
The Director-General encouraged everyone to fully participate in the different sessions as he hoped that the training would transform their lives and by extension impact on their performance at work and the Digital Economy of the Nation at large.
The event featured a presentation of Icon of Digital Economy Award to Prof. Isa Ali Pantami by the Board Chairman of NITDA, Dr Sa’id Abubakar in recognition of his immense contributions to the sector.
Meanwhile, a symbolic certificate was also presented to the Board Chairman of the Agency.
