The federal government yesterday inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the Implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with the task of ensuring a robust, coordinated and legally compliant implementation of DPI that aligns with Nigeria’s development goals.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, emphasised the importance of the DPI in promoting Nigeria’s digital economy.

According to the SGF, who was represented by Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, “DPI is the key to unlocking new avenues for growth, creating jobs, improving public service delivery and empowering our citizens. To achieve this vision, we must establish a well-coordinated and robust governance structure to drive its implementation.”

He charged the Presidential Committee to work assiduously to provide necessary strategic direction and coordination of the seamless integration of the three core pillars of the DPI, which are digital identity, financial payments and data exchange, to foster innovation and evidence-based decision making in governance.

The DPI is to be chaired by President Bola Tinubu, with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (member/secretariat), the Head of Civil Service of The Federation (member), Attorney General of The Federation and Minister of Justice (member) and Minister of Finance

Other members of the committee are Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy(member), Minister of Interior (member), Minister of Budget and National Planning (member), Director-General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) (member) and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) (member).

In her remarks, the Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, reiterated the role of NIMC in improving the overall quality of life of Nigerian citizens through a digital publication structure.

She pledged the full support of NIMC to ensure diligent implementation of DPI in Nigeria.

Also, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), harped on the critical importance of unifying government databases to facilitate seamless data exchange and enhance the overall life event experience for Nigerian citizens.