Nigerian IT agency threatens to blacklist, prosecute IT service providers

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Monday said it would henceforth blacklist and prosecute information technology service providers for the poor quality of services rendered to consumers.

A statement signed by Isa Pantami, Director General of the NITDA, said the agency had been receiving complaints from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) as well as other government establishments on the poor quality of services being rendered by IT service providers.

“An assessment carried out by the Agency confirms that such complaints are largely true,” the statement said.

The statement listed the IT service providers to include Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Electronic Commerce platforms, Software vendors, IT enabled service providers such as Financial Technology Service Providers (FTSPs), Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs), Payment Solutions Service Providers (PSSPs), Business Process Outsourcing Service Providers (BPOSPs) and other IT goods and service providers.

Mr. Patanmi noted further that, “While NITDA is working with critical stakeholders to ensure an excellent working environment for both indigenous and foreign IT goods and service providers, the Agency is also making efforts to ensure that Nigerians are satisfied with IT goods and services consumed.

“The Agency, therefore, will do all it can to enforce the rights of consumers who are being underserved by the substandard services they receive from such providers,” he said.

He also lamented that the poor quality of some IT goods and services is adversely affecting the economy, saying some businesses have had to pack up as the value derived from IT was not commensurate with IT investments.

Commenting further, he noted that 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, a development which he said 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,” the NITDA boss said.

“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,” he added.