THE DEFAULT IN PLANNING IS THE REAL PROBLEM CAUSING NIGERIAN CONFUSION
BRISIN IS STILL DELAYED WHY?
INTRODUCTION:
BRISIN, is Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria. an integrated data & information infrastructure for data governance
You cannot run a government without primary essence of data governance that will guide government decisions and actions on;
* Security of the nation and social security systems
* Economic planning and development
* Investments and technological growth
* Revenue generation and Economic Monitoring
* Social Welfare services and programme
* Democratic development
* Even and rural developments & employment
* Diaspora integration to national grid, legal and illegal migration
* Etc.
On May, 2007, the Federal Government of Nigeria represented by the then National Planning Commission (now Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning), signed a Service agreement for the implementation of Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN) project with Italian Team called ATI for BRISIN represented by Dermo Impex of Nig. Ltd
The BRISIN system is owned by the federal government of Nigeria FCT was chosen to host the pilot.
in summary BRISIN provides “all real time” Information and data pipe on all areas of the economy and governance across board
BRISIN would establish the foundation for sustainable economic growth across all the strata of governance in Nigeria starting with FCT.
WHY DID NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT INSIST ON BRISIN
the thought of giving Nigeria a very strong fundamental infrastructure as a lasting solution for sustainable development was a priority the Obasanjo administration believe would give credence to whatever change the government wish to effect at all level. Give confidence to investments both local and foreign. Collaborate on migration and security monitoring nationally and internationally.
Access various international funding, grants & donations for development. Create the enabling system of knowing who are Nigerians including those in Diaspora which will permit their participation in Nigerian democratic processes
Create the instrument of data governance and information distribution among Agencies mostly on security issue.
Give public and private the instrument to agree on operational data and information system for credible PPP arrangements.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
- Dr Uwa, Nigeria is in difficult situation with unsustainable economic envelopment, increased criminality, uncontrollable poverty surge and above all total confusion everywhere, BRISIN was introduced to build a solid foundation to tackle these issues, signed agreement with the Italian group which your company represent since 2007, and a preparatory work that represent phase 1 completed and FCT pilot suppose to have been finished since 2008. is yet to start. what is the problem
- If national planners ignore the instrument of planning, automatically they plan to fail. BRISIN has a coordinating Agency, (National Planning Commission), presently Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning that actually signed BRISIN agreement for FGN. they should respond to the cause of delay, The Ministry from the onset worked very hard for its implementation, but defaulted in their approach, responsibilities and obligations by not respecting the Service agreement signed for FGN.
Irrespective of presenting and getting the Federal Executive Council approval, there has been still the problem of understanding the concept and vital importance of BRISIN. even as we speak, the Ministry is finding it difficulty recognizing how the project can change the present situation in Nigeria by just presenting this instrument for better planning and budgeting in Nigeria.
- Looking at the situation now, What do you think Nigeria could have been if BRISIN was implemented since 2008.?
- There could have been good governance, checks and balances. economic and fiscal monitoring and control, reduction in criminality, reduction in corruption, sustainable development, huge employment opportunities, very good social welfare among others. Everybody would have understood the meaning of foundational operational system of a nation. mostly as a point of reference for even development.
Nigeria could have been respected everywhere and our credibility would have been very high. the present lingering tribal, religious and ethnic differences would have reduced to zero.
- In what way can BRISIN generate revenue and monitor the economic stability
- Looking at the fundamentals for determination of fiscal and Revenue generation on a BRISIN based data governance, .
there must be a functional data & Information infrastructure at the `grassroots level that gives you clear vision of economic activities and operators within your environment
Data Information updating and dissemination system and Network connectivity.
Economic monitoring, on professional, commercial and Industrial activities
Legislative applications and legal documentations
Price regulation, Monitoring and Control
Fiscal and revenue monitoring and payment systems are various ways of guarantying the revenue generation.
there must be a BRISIN financial guide different from FIRS for checkmating economic Agencies.
- What activities have you the solution Providers carried out since the agreement was signed in 2007?
- A lot has been done, in fact we have carried our part of responsibility to the letter.
- The preparatory phase1 was completed in 2008, basically intellectual aspect of the project, including digital mappings at FCT for pilot project. FGN inaugurated 2 Committees, Steering and Technical Committees.
2 Local sensitization were carried out for all MDAs and the selected Technical Committee members, including Media. see Brisin facebook
- All Nigerian Embassies all over the world were sensitized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as directed by MBNP
- International Organizations including Rotary international staged investment meeting in New York USA. and many investors came including Black Americans who believe they should help develop Africa
- European investors were sensitized with 3 conferences in Rome and Brussels including the Vatican City.
- Investors were invited to Nigeria, MBNP under Udo Udoma hosted the meeting. they came with huge investment proposals, but could not continue when they found that Nigeria was not ready. other investors were invited by former Vice President, they came and was disappointed. etc.
- Dr Uwa, this sounds incredible, as Nigerians are going through difficult times, if there is anything Nigeria need now is the BRISIN. What is the present situation?
- FCT should have started the pilot, but the Minister of FCT is yet to understand the importance and value of BRISIN in managing the affairs of the Capital City. Last year the solution providers following the action of FCT economic planning to sensitize all the departments, requested to participate in the Italian Government intervention Program for Africa called MATEI PROGRAM for Africa and the sum of $600 million was approved for BRISIN NIGERIA, pending the receipt of a letter from FCT confirming the take off of the project and having a counterpart fund in their Budget. this is almost 14 months FCT minister was informed, but as we speak they are yet to send the letter nor have the project started.
The pathetic story here is that BRISIN in FCT will give FCT administration a face lift as capital of Nigeria, presenting credible instrument for realizing N1.5 trillion annually as internally generated revenue. BRISIN will give FCT the possibility to monitor and control all economic operators and their activities.
- does BRISIN have any architecture in place to aid security issues in Nigeria?
- Security architecture is drown from the Demography of a place coupled with base data and information infrastructure, BRISIN is coming with Digital road network, to monitor movements from one place to another, hence the internal movement are controlled by BRISIN centers at the Ward levels.
- what are the tools on ground that BRISIN will use in data collection?
- Nigerian unemployed youths coupled with BRISIN technology. Please note that we are talking of daily activities, if actually you want to monitor your economy and control revenue generation.
- How have you been funding all this activities. and how much has the solution providers received from Nigerian government?
- Believing in the impotence of BRISIN, Dermo Impex and their Italian partners funded some part of the activities both in Italy and Nigeria, while few investors who strongly believe in BRISIN project, funded some part. The agreement is that Nigerian government should fund the project, hence the credible instrument to manage her economy.
Dermo Impex and partners decided to fund as the MBNP gave us letter of comfort that allowed us to look for initial funding, while the investors believe to recuperate their investment as soon as project starts.
however, MBEP is yet to pay for the work already done in preparatory phase which was completed since 2008. Ministry of Justice has to intervene on a mediation understanding to avoid litigation for breach of contract
- Understanding what BRISIN represent, Nigeria can not afford litigation, but can you throw more light on how BRISIN would be funded?
- BRISIN being the instrument of sustainable development of the nations economy, has many ways of funding starting with implementation. Considering that BRISIN makes it possible for Local Governmen. States and Federal government to know, monitor, control revenue generation and manage their economy. so the funding is that the 3 tears of Government. Federal, State and Local Government hence their instrument of development. in addition the project is also programmed on a PPP arrangement and Investors are many and ready waiting to invest. BRISIN will attract so much institutional intervention funds from foreign countries, donations from home and abroad including Diaspora funding. Well meaning and patriotic Nigerians that believe in change will contribute to its implementation
- Considering the urgent need to better the economy, How long would it take to complete the Pilot in FCT and all other States.
- If we remove politics from BRISIN, and FCT Minister understands that BRISIN is a fundamental instrument of development, and takes the advice of his economic planning departments, we should be completing FCT in 18 months to implement if all necessary apparatus are in place.
it will take 4 to 6 years to go round the country if all hands would be on deck without any impediment.
- How many jobs would BRISIN create in Nigeria?
- By our estimation, a minimum of 10 million jobs plus multiple effects spread all over the country there would be a BRISIN employment database where all records of jobs created in every sector of the economy can be verified.
- what can FCT and Nigerian government do not to loose this golden opportunity including the $600million from Italy,
- there were recommendations from the FCT economic Planning and investment Dept to the Hon Minister, He should act very fast by authorizing his Chief of Staff and Mandate Secretary economic planning to immediately act on the recommendation, since the Italian Embassy is ready to collaborate with Nigerian government to make Nigeria a great country. The intervention funds from Italy should reduce the financial burden on FCT and National treasury.
Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning should take their responsibility to coordinate accordingly. they could be seconded by Ministry of Interior.
Dermo Impex Nig Ltd