Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has charged the Board and Management Staff of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to embrace critical thinking as a means of solving complex problems that will benefit Nigerians and the world at large.
The Minister gave this charge during a Ministerial Training on “Skills For Successful Leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, organized by the Ministry, which had in attendance the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, and other stakeholders in the Digital Economy sector.
According to the Minister, critical thinking is crucial to finding solutions to problems, and there is no problem in the world that has no solution.
He highlighted customer centricity, long-term thinking, passion for invention, and surrounding oneself with mentors as key to staying relevant and impactful.
He advised the participants to avoid compromising their core values, as such compromises tend to attract negative results in the long run.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, expressed his delight at the theme of the training, which aims to equip the Board and Management Staff of the organization for growth and resilience in the fourth Industrial Revolution. Inuwa appreciated the Minister for sharing his knowledge and expertise on the subject matter, which he said he has benefited from for twenty-five years.
He emphasized that the fourth Industrial Revolution is upon Nigeria and 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.
The event also featured the presentation of the 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.
In his response, the Minister appreciated the Board for the recognition and reiterated his commitment to the growth and development of the Digital Economy in Nigeria.
The training is expected to transform the lives of the participants and impact their performance at work and the Digital Economy of the Nation at large.
As the Minister admonished, “Always be consistent in your determination to do the right things and have a high level of decisiveness.”
This, coupled with critical thinking, customer centricity, and passion for invention, will help to position the Digital Economy sector on the path of sustainable national development.
