By IJEOMA OLORUNFEMI

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), says 56 per cent of IT projects in Federal Public Institutions (FPIs) has failed, urging strict compliance to IT Project Clearance Guideline.

The guidelines are meant to ensure a coordinated, standardised and an orderly approach to the deployment of Information Technology (IT) systems by Public Institutions (PIs).

Mrs. Hadiza Umar, Director, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, NITDA, said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

She quoted Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, the Director-General of NITDA, as saying this during a visit to the Offices of the Accountant General of the Federation, Auditor General of the Federation (AGF).

Inuwa who also visited the Bureau of Procurement (BPP) was sensitising the organisations on the need for FPIs compliance to IT projects guideline.

He said that IT projects failed because Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) did not comply with clearing their IT projects to deliver on achieving digital economy.

The D-G reiterated that NITDA’s Act 2007, mandated FPIs to obtain clearance for the implementation of their IT projects

The visits focused on presentation of NITDA’s Reviewed IT Project Clearance Guidance Document.

It is an updated framework designed to standardise planning, funding and execution of IT projects in line with national digital economy goals.

Umar also quoted Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, D-G of BPP, as stating the significance of standardising IT Project Bidding Documents, and alleged that some organisations use IT projects to siphon public funds.

Adedokun said his experience had shown that MDAs presented IT projects that were adopted without standardisation and guidelines.

“With this new guideline, our decision should pave ways for the development of the IT sector of the country.”

“Most IT projects component is intangible and officials leverage them to siphon public funds, and for that, BPP has developed a standard bidding document for IT procurement.

“We have a huge responsibility with NITDA to avoid corruption, duplication of IT projects and ensure transparency and accountability in the award of IT projects for the FPIs.

“It is disheartening that we are consuming resources that can be deployed to meet other needs of the country and we need to stop this and say no to wastage,” he said.

He urged NITDA to reconsider service-wide procurement of licenses from organisations such as Microsoft, Oracle as well as develop a template for IT Price Intelligence.

On his part, Mr. Shaakaa Kanyitor, Auditor General of the Federation, said his office would conduct performance assessment on how operationalisation of the IT clearance guidelines had impacted the economy.

Similarly, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, the Accountant-General of the Federation, commended NITDA’s efforts to standardise IT project implementation.

Ogunjimi expressed readiness to support the integration of the clearance guidelines into financial processes.

It would be recalled that in 2018 NITDA unveiled the Guideline for IT Project Clearance. (NAN)