NITDA: Poor IT products, services affecting economy

In furtherance of its function to implement the Nigerian Information Technology Policy and co-ordinate general IT development and regulation in the country, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has alerted the nation about complaints it has received on poor quality of IT goods and services in both the government and private sectors.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, the Director-General, NITDA, Dr. Isa Ibrahim, said, “The NITDA has been receiving complaints from Ministries, Departments, Agencies and other government establishments, the organised private sector and individual consumers of IT goods and services on the poor quality of services being rendered by Internet service providers, original equipment manufacturers, electronic commerce platforms, software vendors, IT enabled service providers, such as, financial technology service providers, payment terminal service providers, payment solutions service providers, business process outsourcing service providers, and other IT goods and service providers.”

According to the Agency, an assessment carried out confirms that such complaints are largely true, adding that NITDA is working with critical stakeholders to ensure an excellent working environment for both indigenous and foreign IT goods and service providers.

The Agency stressed that it is also making efforts to ensure that Nigerians are satisfied with IT goods and services consumed; and will, therefore, do all it can to enforce the rights of consumers who are being underserved by the substandard services they receive from such providers.

NITDA said, “The poor quality of some IT goods and services is adversely affecting the economy. Some businesses have had to pack up as the value derived from IT was not commensurate with IT investments. Additionally, some MDAs have been repeating expenses on IT goods and services in every budget year because of the poor quality of earlier purchased software and hardware. This has constituted an unsustainable drain on the nation’s resources.”

“We are, therefore, calling on both indigenous and foreign IT goods and service providers to pay attention to quality and customer satisfaction. Terms of license acquisition, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and contracts with clients and customers must be strictly adhered to.
“The Agency is setting mechanism in place to monitor compliance and would facilitate the blacklisting perennial defaulters, prosecute them and ensure remedy for consumers,” the DG NITDA said.