NCS launches first Techies’ Hangout to address ICT challenges

The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Abuja Chapter, has launched its first Techie’s Hangout to proffer solutions to the emerging Information and Communications Technology (ICT) challenges in the country.

The National President of NCS, Professor Adesina Sodiya, supervised the launch with the theme, ‘Robot versus Human: Who Gets the Next Job?’ in Abuja.

Sodiya said due to the fast changing digital society, it had become necessary to positively revolutionalise the ICT industry by creating efficient and easy-to-use technological innovations in public and private sectors.

“We can say that there is no matching robots when it comes to speed, accuracy, efficiency and logical ability.

“Humans still have an edge over the machines due to their intellect, spontaneity, creative thinking, and multi-layered methods of planning ahead of time.

“Our curiosity and instincts are also advantages, but they are far harder to quantify,” he said.

Sodiya said robot cannot adapt to new conditions and that’s what makes them far away from humanity.

“What makes a robots similar to humans is the fact that it is made by humans. It is just the product ‘made by men’.

“It is a way that shows how smart humans are. It is a combination of all human developments and discoveries.

“Robots are made to help humans. However, they cannot replace them because they are in constant need of human development and care,” he said.

He said the Techies’ Hangout initiative was targeted at rebranding society’s members and the general public towards harnessing the potential of the digital economy.

Earlier, the president of NCS Abuja chapter, Mr Alabi Sunday, said that the forum was for ICT professionals to discuss, interact and socialise on trends and perspectives of ICT development in relation to businesses, national economy and youth development.

He said the forum had brought to the table research and actionable efforts that experts had put together to resolve the challenges in the Nigeria ICT industry.

The hangout featured panel discussions during which panelists averred that robots and machines are making lives easier for humans by bringing more efficiency.

One of the panelists, Dr Aderinke Bello, fellow of the society, noted that robots only took away yesterday’s manually done jobs but not today’s jobs adding that machines had created new professionals.

Bello said such new jobs included Chief software architects, data analysts, cyber security experts, digital detoxification experts, mind transfer specialists, space tour guards, project managers and data protection officers.

She, however, advised ICT professionals to improve themselves, saying some of the old technologies would soon phase out and new one would emerge.

Bello further called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to unbundle the training curriculum for ICT professionals in Nigeria Universities.