The Nigerian Senate, Wednesday, gave approval to the establishment of the Institute of Information and Communication Technology Iwo, Osun State.
The approval came following the presentation and consideration of a report on a bill to establish the Institute by the Committee on ICT and Cyber Security.
The report was laid by the Chairman of the Committee of, Senator Oseni Yakubu (Kogi Central).
In his presentation, Yakubu said the bill which consists of 25 Clauses and 1 Schedule, seeks to establish the Institute to provide full-time and part-time courses of instruction and training in Information and Communication Technology and other related fields of study, and to make provisions for the general administration of the Institute.
He disclosed that out of all submissions received from stakeholders on the bill, only two were opposed to it.
According to the lawmaker, “while the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) vehemently opposed the bill, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy opposed it on one hand, but conceded that should the bill be passed and assented to, the institute should be domiciled under its supervisory authority.”
“However, all other stakeholders supported the bill, opining that the establishment of the Institute would not only be of immense economic advantage to Nigeria, but also alleviate the challenge of inadequate manpower in the ICT sector, and thereby make room for improved job opportunities and employment generation”, he added.
The bill was thereafter passed after consideration by the Committee of the Whole.
Packaged by Adedamola Adeyemo
