Teniola, ATCON president counsels FG on ICT for wealth creation

Mr Olusola Teniola, president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has proposed interventions and solutions adoptable by the Federal Government as means to leverage information and communication technologies (ICTs) as alternate to the present dependence on oil and gas.

Speaking during BusinessDay Technology Conference 2016 held in Lagos, Teniola said described the conference theme, “Beyond Oil: ICT as a Viable Alternative for Wealth Creation’’, as long overdue, adding that ATCON has at different fora emphasized the urgent need to diversify partly or completely from depending on the revenue derivable from oil to an ICT driven economy to run our overall economy, “but we were not taken seriously then”.

According to him, the ICT sector, if properly developed could serve as a replacement for the Oil and Gas sector in boosting Nigeria’s economy.He said, “The price of oil has continued to fall uncontrollably and this poses a threat to our national economy therefore we have to look for a way out by devising viable policy pathways and economic sectors that will enhance national wealth and create employment for the populace, and one of the surest way out, is to give due attention to the development of the Information and Communication Technology sector, for example in India, China, Singapore and Brazil, ICT is used as the basis by these countries to develop innovative solutions, for example, cars that use electric solar power energy!