Nigeria begins pilot project for information system to support economy

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Anthony Uwa, Head of Implementation, Basic Registry and Information
System in Nigeria (BRISIN), says the Federal Government is committed to
the implementation of the project as it commences the pilot phase in
FCT.
Mr Uwa told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the Federal
Government and the service provider of BRISIN, Dermo Impex, had carried
out awareness campaigns on the project.
BRISIN is an integrated system for the collection, storage and
distribution of information to support the management of the economy.
The federal government had approved the implementation of the project
which would be carried out by Dermo Impex, an Italian based Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) Company.
He said that BRISIN had started with sensitisation and workshop on disability.
“The second leg of the project is the official flag off. At the
official flag off, the field work will start, that is the real
implementation.
“All the necessary logistics need to be prepared before the flagoff,
that it why we have met with stakeholders to make sure that BRISIN is
implemented.
“It the responsibility of the FCT to provide funding, then, they are
going to provide provisional office for the flag off and implementation
before BRISIN centres are built.
“The federal government has asked us to look at the possibility of
seeking funds from Nigerian citizens and international organisations,
mostly because this aspect that has to do with disability.
“Disability is not an area that investors will put their money, they
need a lot of donors and sympathetic help that comes,’’ the coordinator
said.
Mr Uwa, however, told NAN that the implementation team would mobilise
resources to start the project, using few investors who are ready to
support the project.
According to him, BRISIN is a programme that will take over 10 to 15 years across the country.
“BRISIN will be inaugurated in FCT soon; by the end of year, we would
have completed the implementation of mostly the structure and building,
if funds are readily available.
“We have held two strategic meetings; we will be working with three
major agencies – National Population Commission, Federal Inland Revenue
Service and National Bureau of Statistics first.
“All the milestone needs to be determined by these people, real data on demographic and with the provision of security number.
“So, that is the reason we needed these agencies to be part and parcel of the implementation even with disability data bank.
“I am assuring you that immediately we start, we will not stop. FCT
could take six months, if actually fully funded so we should get the FCT
pilot project right.’’
In addition, he said the two meetings held in May with the
stakeholders were to re-strategise on the implementation as agreed by
the federal government.
“Federal government said that FCT should provide the structures,
mostly operational office for flag off – where BRISIN will take off with
disability data capture.
“Then, it will also provide land for BRISIN centres from the wards to council areas and to the states.
“The second meeting took place and the result of the meeting was so
impressing, it showed that it was time for us to move forward,’’ the
official said.
NAN reports that no fewer than 9,822 servers will be installed in all
the wards, local governments and states in the country as part of the
project implementation.
The service provider will install one server in each of the 8,812
wards in Nigeria and move up to the 774 local governments headquarters.
BRISIN was initiated by the Obasanjo administration, while the
Jonathan administration inaugurated a technical committee for its
implementation.
(NAN)