AS part of plans to improve Information and Communications Technology in Nigeria, the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) is seeking collaboration with financial Institutions in the country to further improve the sector in Nigeria.NCS president, Demola Aladekomo stated this when he led NCS's team to the management of First Bank Plc in Lagos at the weekend.Aladekomo, who said the visit was to identify with the bank and commend it for its consistency over the decades and its rock solid performance even with the current economic turmoil being experienced and its show of leadership in most spheres of the lives of Nigerians at home and abroad, urged that there should be more collaboration between the ICT industry and the financial institutions.The NCS president noted that globally, there is always a robust relationship between financial institutions and the technology sector, stressing that such mutual relationship should be encouraged in Nigeria.Aladekomo noted that in over 33 years of existence, NCS had gotten the Federal Government to establish the Computer Professionals Registration Council (CPN), which regulates the membership of the profession in Nigeria, worked with the Federal Government to establish the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and recently engaged with the Federal Government in establishing the Ministry of Communications Technology.Mentioning a few of the objectives of NCS, which focused on accelerated development in ICT in Nigeria, he stated that NCS would be very interested in partnering with FBN towards putting Nigeria firmly in the global IT map to our mutual benefit.He called for partnership with NCS in Employment and Intervention Funding as NCS intends working with the Federal Government towards creating, conservatively, One Million IT related jobs within the next Five years. The NCS President further identified Strategic Partnership in Programs and Projects such as the 2011 National Information Technology Merit Award/Investiture Program, the NCS 2012 yearly conference specifically targeted on the Cashless program of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and support in establishing the NCS major National Secretariat Building in Abuja, FCT. The NCS President also commended FBN Nigeria PLC for being a corporate member of NCS and advised the bank to fully activate its membership.Responding, the GMD, FBN, Mr. Onasanya commended the laudable objectives of NCS and thanked NCS for the visit. Noting that NCS is at the forefront of IT development in Nigeria, he promised to look into all issues raised. He specifically mentioned cashless initiatives of the bank and expressed the desire of FBN to be identified with the cashless initiative of the CBN. According to him, FBN takes its Corporate Social Responsibility seriously and in fact has a structured framework for participation.In addressing the issue of financial support, Mr. Rasheed Adegoke of FBN Nigeria also highlighted the need to explore venture-funding opportunities for the IT sector.
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