CPN moves against sector’s quacks

Plans effective regulation
The Computer Professionals (Registration Council of) Nigeria (CPN) said is working assiduously to sanitise the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector of quacks.

For effect, CPN, which urged IT practitioners not registered with it, to as a matter of urgency, register, said enforcements against unregistered players, which are referred to as quacks have started and would become more intense in 2018.

Already, the CPN, which will be celebrating 25 years of existence in June, said it was working with the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to ensure that IT contractors not registered with it (CPN) are blocked from getting and executing Federal Governments ICT projects.

Speaking during an interaction with the media, in Lagos, yesterday, the Vice President/Vice Chairman-in-Council, CPN, Kole Jagun, said the Council won’t leave room for quacks to take over the industry. He stressed that the sanitisation of the industry would be nationwide.

Jagun said CPN would do everything possible to move the sector forward.

CPN was established through Act No 49 of 1993. The Act was passed into law on June 10th and gazetted on August 9th of same year.

The Act makes it mandatory for all persons and organizations seeking to engage, or engaged in IT training/Education, sale and/or use of computing facilities, and the provision of professional services in computational or related computational machinery in Nigeria to be registered by the Council and licensed to carry out such activities.

To the Registrar/Secretary to Council, Allwell Achumba, since IT is the fulcrum of any thriving economy, which cannot be ignored by the players in that economy, Council has chosen to focus on this invaluable tool that will propel our economy and prepare our industries for global competitiveness.

According to him, CPN as an Agency of Government that regulates and controls the practice of IT practice in Nigeria is taking the bull by the horn by convoking yet another forum with the media considered to be a major player and influencer in the IT eco system.

Achumba disclosed that though the number of members of CPN has been growing, “that does not stop us from moving against quacks in the sector. We have come to realise that for the industry to thrive well, we must do a kind of sanitisation.”

Achumba, who said yearly organised IT Professionals’ Assembly by CPN, comes up between June 20 and 21, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, noted that the flagship event will also feature CPN’s 25th anniversary celebrations. The Council also informed of plans to move its Head Office from Lagos to FCT, Abuja.

Earlier in his presentation, the President of CPN, Prof. Charles Uwadia, said the Council achieved a lot between July 2017 and March 2018.

Uwadia said there has been improved interaction with other sister agencies of government, which include the signing of Memorandom of Understanding with the National Council of Colleges of Education (NCCE).

He said CPN accredited four Tertiary Institutions on Computer Sciences and related courses from July to October, 2017. They include Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, B,Sc Computer Science in July, 2017 with Interim accreditation status; Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, B.Sc Computer Science in August, 2017 with Interim accreditation status; Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, B.Sc Information & Management Technology in August, 2017 with Full accreditation status and Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, B.Sc Computer Science in October, 2017 with Interim accreditation status.

The CPN President disclosed that, there was a meeting between NITDA Management and the Council members, elders of the IT Professionals/ Practitioners on March 19th, where it was agreed in the courtesy meeting that NITDA and CPN will collaborate to improve professionalism in IT in Nigeria. A joint committee of NITDA – CPN was thereafter set up with 5-members from each Agency.