NIGCOMSAT, NITDA, Galaxy have no business in info ministry

The Minister of Science and Technology Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has said the Federal Government wants the three agencies under the supervision of Ministry of Communications to be returned to the Science Ministry because they have more to do with science and technology than with communications.  Some Federal Government officials in both ministries have been locked […]

The Minister of Science and Technology Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has said the Federal Government wants the three agencies under the supervision of Ministry of Communications to be returned to the Science Ministry because they have more to do with science and technology than with communications.

 Some Federal Government officials in both ministries have been locked in in-fighting  over moves to relocate the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) and Galaxy Backbone back to ministry of science and technology where they previous belonged before former President Goodluck Jonathan created ministry of communications and took them there.

 But speaking at a question and answer session after a World Press Conference in Abuja Monday, Dr Onu said the global best practice is for agencies such as NIGCOMSAT (that deals in satellite technology), NITDA (that deals in technology, software development  and innovation) and Galaxy (which handles IT backbone for the government) to be domiciled in science and technology ministry.

 He said the three agencies have no business being in communications ministry because they are more in unity with agencies in science.

 He said: “The reason why it is important that you have unity is that if you take Information Technology (IT), you have Nano Technology, you have Artificial Intelligence, you have Biotechnology, and now we are talking about renewable energy, you have New Materials technology etc .There are so many aspects of technology that they are linked together. For instance you cannot talk of Information Technology without talking about technology because our mobile phones are phones without wires and there is no way you can have those phones without the satellite.