COVID-19: National policy on virtual meetings ready — FG

A draft policy document on virtual meetings and engagements in the federal civil service is ready and will be presented at the Federal Executive Council in the coming weeks, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has disclosed. Pantami disclosed this while delivering a lecture at the Course 82 graduation […]

A draft policy document on virtual meetings and engagements in the federal civil service is ready and will be presented at the Federal Executive Council in the coming weeks, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has disclosed.

Pantami disclosed this while delivering a lecture at the Course 82 graduation ceremony, National Defence College Abuja on Tuesday.

• Thrills as Nigerians, 40 Nobel Laureates, meet on exchanges
• COVID-19 pandemic compelled Nigerians to value ICT – DG NITDA

He said his ministry, in collaboration with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, developed the draft policy document on virtual meetings and engagements for civil servants in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 and also adapt to the new normal.

He emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic had forced the federal government to adopt the use of technology in governance and this had necessitated the need to promote e-governance in an orderly manner.

“As enshrined in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy Document, the new Policy will promote the pillars of Service Infrastructure and Digital Services Development and Promotion represented as Pillars 4 and 5”, he said.

On the issue of security, the minister noted that the real warfare is now fought in the cyberspace as cybercriminals operate at a speed far ahead of the speed of law, and therefore “we must take very deliberate steps to ensure that our cyberspace is significantly secured.”

Dr Pantami, who further advocated the preference of skills over qualifications, remarked that global business and tech giants have since adopted the strategy, as individuals with proven skills remained more valuable than those with mere qualifications.