Govt mulls conversion of DBI to ICT

For the advancement of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Nigeria, the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has hinted of plans by the Federal Government to convert the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) located in Oshodi, Lagos to a university.

Specifically, Shitu, who disclosed this during the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) organized event on his behalf, admitted that the country does not have a dedicated institution for ICT awarding degrees.

“I want to advocate for one. It is the policy of this government to convert the Digital Bridge Institute in Lagos and other cities into a multi-campus ICT University, perhaps the first of its kind in Africa”, he stated.

According to him, establishing the university became imperative after evaluating the level of infrastructure and facilities at the DBI. He noted that the DBI, which is currently a Nigerian International Centre for Information and Communications Studies, could be converted to a full-blown ICT university since such centres now lack patronage.

In an earlier tour of the DBI facilities, the minister said it became obvious to him that the country was sitting on gold mine, describing the facilities he saw as low hanging technology fruits that needed exploiting.

“The centre will be converted to ICT University where people will be trained in the Information Communication Technology development. ICT goes beyond computer as a course. There is hidden treasure in the DBI which government is not exploiting. The state of ICT facilities in the centre are strong.”