GOVERNMENT

AN ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, ARC. (OBONG) VICTOR ATTAH, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF AKWA IBOM STATE, AT THE COMMISSIONING OF VICTOR ATTAH DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES CENTRE, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY POLICIES, PILOT PLANT FOR GREASE MANUFACTURE AND THE AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE REGULATOR (AVR – STENIANG), AT THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 84 OBIO IMO STREET, UYO ON FRIDAY 21^ST JANUARY, 2005

PROTOCOL/SALUTATIONS

It is a great honour for me to formally welcome our Special Guest of Honour, the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Turner T. Isoun and all the other very important dignitaries to Akwa Ibom State.

Today’s economy, so intensely based on knowledge, has put the “knowledge

workers” at the very centre of the system.  Talent, high skills and education, creativity, capacity of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit are the features of the new creative class.  These people constitute the main asset of any technology or knowledge – based society.  Therefore states, regions and countries are competing to attract these kinds of people.  A state with a kind concentration of knowledge workers will succeed in attracting investments and knowledge companies.  Attracting this new “creative class” has become an enormous competitive advantage.

Whilst Akwa Ibom State is endowed with natural resources which form the bedrock of the economy in the state at present, the state under my administration has taken a bold initiative to ensure that the future of the state is one in which Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) becomes another key driver of economic growth for the future development of the Akwa Ibom people.  In our resolve and commitment to develop the state, we knew that there could be no meaningful development without a solid Science and Technology foundation.  This informed our early creation of the then Bureau of Science and Technology in July 20, 2000 which metamorphosed to a full-fledged Ministry of Science and Technology in August 2003.  In July 3, 2001, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) with a view to commercializing the inventions and innovations already assessed and also use these projects as impetus and motivation to spur the inventiveness and innovative capability of Akwa Ibom State indigenes.  Today, we are commissioning two of such projects:

·                    Automatic Voltage Regulator ‘ “STENIANG” by Eniang Brothers and

·                    The Pilot Plant for grease manufacture by Mr. Nsisuk Ekanem.

I commend NOTAP for their efforts.

        My administration has laid the foundation in Science and Technology by

        implementing the following programmes:

        -        Formulation of Science and Technology Policy

        -        Formulation of Information and Technology Policy

       -         Actively promoting and encouraging indigenous research, inventions and

                 innovations

       -        Providing platform for researchers and inventors to market their R&D results

                and inventions to entrepreneurs and the general public

      -        Establishing State-of-the art communication network by the installation of

               VSAT gateway linking all the Ministries, Judiciary, State House of Assembly

               and Government House.

             Providing all the EXCO – Members, Permanent Secretaries and other top Government Functionaries with lap-tops.

      -        Establishing the University of Technology

      -        Establishing the Science and Technology Park

     -        Sending out in 2005,200 graduates from the state to undergo an IT programme in Canada for 2 years.

      -        Establishing Nine Science and Computer Centres in the State

     -        Distributing Science Trolleys (Mini Science Laboratories) to about 1000 public primary schools.

   -    Distributing Science equipment worth over N450 million purchased by Government to public schools.

      -        Becoming a member of the International Association of Science Parks.

                Our Information and Technology vision is “To make Akwa Ibom State an

Information and Communication Technology society where her citizens

shall attain high IT literacy and for which IT shall be deployed as an

instrument for economic development and for daily activities.”  Clearly, this

establishment of the Science and Technology Park is the key foundation

building block in the fulfillment of the IT Vision of the State.  The Science and Technology Park will be the envelope from which many of the other initiatives are drawn from and guided by it.  The Park will symbolize the ICT evolution in the State and will form the heart of the process.  Thus the main focal point for the entire ICT initiative in the State is the establishment of the ST Park which will form the catalyst for the three key foundation building blocks of the process namely:

     -        Human Resource Development

     -        Establishment of Akwasoft and Akwaware Initiatives and

     -        Establishment of AkwaNet.

While the Science and Technology Park, with a strong ICT component, is being developed, Victor Attah Digital Opportunities Centre (VADOC) is the veritable ICT manpower prerequisite and factor for the sustainability of the digital revolution in the State in particular and Nigeria in general.

   Qualitative manpower is one of the most important determinants of viable and sustainable economies.  Countries like India, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia have built a highly skilled manpower base to attract a lot of foreign exchange earnings that have given their economy a lot of viability and a high level of sustainability.  The foreign exchange realized can be comparable to our earnings on oil exportation.  We are thinking in this direction.

    It is with pride that I wish to acknowledge that the programmes of the Ministry of Science and Technology are providing positive and encouraging results.  I commend the Honourable Commissioner of Science and Technology and his Ministry for all the achievements.  This administration will continue to give, promote and encourage science and technology development in the State.

   The Honourable Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to report that Akwa Ibom State has taken the lead in the ICT development of Science and Technology Policy, IT Policy and the establishment of Science and Technology Park.

   Let me seize this opportunity again to congratulate the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology on the successful launching of an Earth Observation Micro-Satellite on 27^th September, 2003 and the multi-sectoral economic application of the ensuing satellite data and his plans to launch the NIGCOMSAT-1 in 2006, NIGERSAT-2 in 2007 and ensure further capacity building in space technology.

    I thank the Honourable Minister, Science & Technology, Prof. Turner T. Isoun, Directors General, Industrialists, Bankers, Researchers and everybody here present for your efforts at making this State one among equal.

God bless you all!