Tinubu heads c’ttee on digital public infrastructure implementation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is to head the Presidential Committee on the Implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) inaugurated on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Segun Imohiosen, the Director, Information and Public Relations Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), said this on Tuesday in a statement.

The committee was charged with the core mandate to ensure a robust, coordinated and legally compliant implementation of DPI that aligns with Nigeria’s development goals.

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The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, represented by the Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, noted the importance of the DPI in promoting Nigeria’s digital economy.

Imohiosen quoted Akume as saying that, “The DPI is the key to unlocking new avenues for growth, creating jobs, improving public service delivery and empowering our citizens. To achieve this vision, we must establish a well-coordinated and robust governance structure to drive its implementation.”

He charged the presidential committee to work assiduously to provide necessary strategic direction and coordination of the seamless integration of the three core pillars of the DPI, which are Digital Identity, Financial Payments and Data Exchange, to foster innovation and evidence-based decision making in governance.

The Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, in her address reiterated the role of NIMC in improving the overall quality of life of Nigerian citizens through a digital publication structure.

“We acknowledge our full responsibilities to contribute meaningfully to advance economic growth, enhance citizen engagement and improve overall quality of life through DPI. NIMC pledges its full support and cooperation on this noble endeavour, and together we shall work diligently to ensure the implementation of DPI in Nigeria,” she said.

In his presentation, Dr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), emphasised the critical importance of unifying government databases to facilitate seamless data exchange and enhance the overall life event experience for Nigerian citizens.

Also, the Managing Director, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Mr Premier Oiwoh, noted the need to build teams to solve local problems on identity management and financial payments.

He said, “NIBSS has been working collaboratively with NIMC to verify National Identity Numbers and Bank Verification Numbers to ensure financial payment and secure transactions by linking their database for more efficient results.”

The 10-member committee has President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Chairman), Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Member/Secretariat), while other members are Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Also on the committee are Minister of Finance, Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy; Minister of Interior, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Director-General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC); and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).