The Computer Professionals (Registration Council of) Nigeria (CPN) said on Tuesday it has blocked ‘Quack’ Information Technology contractors from doing business onbehalf of the federal and state governments.
The body for computer practitioners said the step is one out of its steps to get rid of quacks in the information technology (IT) industry of the country.
The professional body said it would need support to effectively achieve getting rid of the ‘quacks’ that practice but are not not registered under the professional body.
Its Vice President/Vice Chairman-in-Council, Kole Jagun, who spoke to reporters, said it has a working relationship with the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to ensure that unregistered IT contractors are blocked from getting and executing Federal Governments projects.
It noted that the sanitisation of the industry would be nationwide, adding that everything possible would be done 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 9 of same year.
The Act makes it mandatory for all persons and organisations 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.
Its Registrar/Secretary to Council, Allwell Achumba, said since IT is the fulcrum of any thriving economy, the Council has chosen to focus on it as a tool to grow the economy and prepare local industries for global competitiveness.
He said CPN as a Federal Government agency that regulates and controls the practice of IT practice 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 ecosystem.
Achumba said 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 the yearly IT Professionals’ Assembly by CPN, comes up between June 20 and 21, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, noted that the event will also feature CPN’s 25th anniversary celebrations. The Council also informed of plans to move its Head Office from Lagos to Abuja.
Earlier in his presentation, its President, Prof. Charles Uwadia, said the Council achieved a lot between July 2017 and March 2018.
He said there has been improved interaction with other sister agencies of government, which include the signing of Memorandom of Understanding (MoU) 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, last year. 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.
Prof Uwadia said there was a meeting between NITDA and Council members, elders of the IT professionals/practitioners on March 19 where it was agreed that the two bodies will collaborate to improve professionalism in the industry. A five-member joint committee of NITDA and CPN was subsequently constituted with members drawn for the two groups.
