Cross River Govt honoured as Best Use of ICT in Nigeria

Cross River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has been conferred with the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) Award of Excellence on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), while the state government was acknowledged as the only state with the Best Use of ICT & Promotion of Software in Nigeria.

The double honours bestowed on Imoke and the state government during the IPSON 2015 President’s Dinner Award at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Saturday 18th April, 2015 was in recognition of Governor Imoke's consistent, exemplary and pioneering role in the deployment of software technology and service delivery in Cross River.

Speaking at the ceremony, ISPON President, Mr. Pius Okigbo, Jnr. said the awards were to encourage states who recognise the strategic importance of ICT to governance as well as its cross cutting effect on various sectors and its catalytic effect on the socio-economic development of the state.

The ISPON President. who enumerated some of Governor Imoke’s giant strides in ICT revolution in Cross River to include Calabar Communication Infrastructure Project, Tinapa Knowledge City, Cross River State Open Data & Smart City Service, Cross River Geographic Information Agency (CRGIA), the Electronic Transaction Processing & Financial Inclusion (SmartGov.CRSG) Projects, among others, described him as a man of initiative, innovation and vision, whose sterling contribution to the IT landscape in Nigeria deserved celebration.

The state also received the acknowledgment as the best use of Information Communication and Technology and promotion of software in Nigeria.

"We are beginning to strengthen our capacity and to ensure that we just don't take advantage of the opportunities in this industry and I dare to say we are tremendous but also working hand in hand with ISPON through the various  parastatals of the Federal Government, particularly the Ministry of ICT to enable to position Cross River State as a questionable state and we believe we can be a leader ultimately when it comes to communication technology and process of delivery." - Governor Liyel Imoke

Dr. Omobola Johnson

The Minister of Communication and Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, was also honoured with an Award of Excellence for her outstanding role in development of ICT sector in the country even as she lauded ISPON for its aggressive drive in building the capacity required to grow the local economy.

She noted that "ICT plays a critical part in the development of the country and urged the body to take advantage of the available opportunity that abounds everywhere with a view of ensuring that they properly harness the potential to better the lots of the people."

Commending Imoke for the award, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Peter Jack, described the governor as an icon, a beacon of hope that has left an indelible footprint in the ICT industry in his state and country at large.

On his part, the immediate past President of ISPON, Mr. Chris Uwaje, described Imoke as “the only digital governor in Nigeria that someone can truly lay claim to at any time. I have worked with him for the past four years, and I can tell you that if anybody deserves to be called or addressed as a digital governor in Nigeria, with all sense of modesty, it is only Imoke that deserves to be so called.”

ISPON was formed in 1999 with the aim of creating an enabling environment for local content developers to thrive locally and internationally. Membership of the association is drawn from different categories that key into diverse range of software developers, software testers and users.