Covid-19:How we sustained the country with IT – Pantami
Chima Azubuike
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Professor Isa Pantami, has explained how Nigeria was sustained through Information Technology, during the peak of COVID-19.
Pantami made this disclosure during the launch of Galaxy Backbone North-East regional, and marketing office in Gombe on Friday.
He disclosed that during the height of Coronavirus, it took the intervention of his Ministry and Galaxy Backbone to ensure that the country remained afloat.
According to him, many institutions of government were shutdown following the coronavirus pandemic, stressing that it took the deployment of technology to ensure the economy especially administration remained intact.
He recalled his efforts in convincing the president Muhammadu Yahaya, to use virtual meetings in order to ensure that governance was not stalled.
Pantami said, “I could recall in 2020 we were swallowed by Covid-19 pandemic. we shutdown many institutions including Federal Executive Council meetings to the period we spent time without meetings. I went to my principal to say sir, I believe we have impending memos.
“The first memo we treated was related to health, procurement of equipment in ICU and impending memos of Npower.If you look at the memos you will realise the virtual meetings sustained our country.”
While commending the Galaxy Backbone for working within the digital economy focus of the Federal Government, Pantami said the office has provision to conduct trainings for both public and private sectors aside internet and broadband connection.
He said, “Aside the training, the idea is to equip them with job offers.The ICT sector is on auto drive that is to say it is on course.”
Also speaking, Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Muhammad Abubakar, said the choice of a regional office is because of the strategic location of Gombe.
He added that the regional office would serve the entire North-East, thereby providing both connectivity and training to relevant sectors.
