Provide incentive for Nigeria tech ecosystem to reverse brain drain — Prof Sodiya

By Ogaga Ariemu

President, Nigeria Computer Society(NCS), Prof Adesina Sodiya has said that the Federal Government should provide incentive for Nigeria’s tech ecosyetem to avert brain drain in the sector.

Sodiya stated this to NewsDirect Newspaper in an exclusive interview held during the weekend.

He explained that the only way to undo further massive migration of tech workers from Nigeria, is for the government to be more deliberate about the situation.

He suggested that Federal Government, corporate bodies, private individual should channel resources into encouraging indigenous tech solutions.

Sodiya disclosed that the provision of better working conditions for tech workers in Nigeria is the only insensitive to retain them.

“Many corporate organisations and government agencies have been complaining that tech experts are leaving their jobs in Nigeria for opportunities abroad. For instance as I told them in one meeting recently, the youths(people) are drivers of any tech oriented policies. The people that are going to implement this policy; the people that are going to provide the tools and  solutions; the people that are going to support all the application that are going to be used to drive in e-governance, digital economy, how are we encouraging them? How are we providing incentives so that they will also be committed to the work in Nigeria? Of course, if you don’t keep these people in here, the money we don’t want to spend nurturing them locally, we will spend the same money buying IT products from abroad. This also have effect on our foreign exchange. It’s important.

“What we can do as a nation is to continue to provide support for IT sector. Federal Government should provide incentives for tech guys, that will encourage them to stay back and develop the industry. IT is now becoming important. It is not only Medical doctors, Nurses”, he stated.

On his part, the Vice President, NCS, Dr Muhammed Aliyu said, “Support from the government side is very important to averting brain drain and stop exporting jobs and importing unemployment in Nigeria.”