Nigeria lost $2.5bn in 45 years on failed national identity projects -Aladekomo
Nigeria has been working on achieving an ideal national identity with each passing administration and has wasted billions of dollars due to poor implementation.
According to Sir Demola Aladekomo, chairman of Chams Plc, Nigeria may have lost about $2.5 billion dollars in the last 45 years due to poor implementation of several failed national identity projects.
Aladekomo disclosed this while speaking on the topic titled: Socio-Economic Benefits of Shifting Paradigms, at a forum organized by the University of Lagos MBA 83-84 class.
Aladekomo said, “We may even waste another borrowed $400 million by the end of 2021 with the non-clarity in the management of various ID projects in the country.”
He explained that he foresees increased chaos, anarchy, militancy, banditry, kidnapping, nepotism, secession calls, corruption and blatant stealing with about 210 million Nigerians yet to be identified fully.
He lamented that this will further be exacerbated in 2050 when our population is estimated to be about 400 million if not gotten right at this stage.
The Chairman of Chams Plc, Nigeria, highlighted that just because we do not know and cannot manage our people without proper identity management, the country will be faced continuously with challenging socio-economic imperatives especially in our education, health sector, infrastructure development, security, rule of law and so on, stressing that these were gravely exposed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consequently, he called for a paradigm shift in three areas: prioritizing data and technology, multi-agency approach, and private sector involvement.
“Technologies have changed the landscape, digital economy is the new play and we need databases at national, state, agencies and sectoral levels. These data need to be domicile in Nigeria while local technologies should be encouraged,” he said.
Aladekomo added that “Our private sector should be deliberately promoted to be involved in the execution of our national identity projects because with them there will be cost effective delivery, speed of execution, and attraction of funding/investment. Moreover, many of them have the right and most suited technology for our peculiar environment.”
In his contribution, Felix Adejimi, a software developer, said, while data is the fuel of modern economy and digital transformation is the driver, Nigeria as a nation, needs to take it seriously.
Adejimi urged the government to focus more on providing an enabling and secure environment for private companies.
On his part, Tunde Omitogun, managing director of HISPLUS, charged the nation to act fast and implement some of the points highlighted at the forum.
The event which was the first in a series was moderated by Prof. Lere Baale, chief executive of Business School Netherlands (BSN) in Nigeria was attended by Kehinde Lawanson, former executive Director of First Bank plc; Samson Omolorhe, president of the University of Lagos MBA 83-84 class; and Prof. Tokunbo Onabanjo.
Others are members of Fintech 1000 Plus Group such as James Agada, Niyi Ajao, Emeka Okoye, Moses Braimah, Deremi Atanda, amongst others.
