When President Goodluck Jonathan approved the appointment
of Mr Peter Olu Jack as the Director General of the National Information
Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for a first term of four years with
effect from April 7th 2014,
it came to many as a surprise. However those could be said to be in the dark
about the technical and administrative depth of the man, Peter Jack.
Prior to his appoint to replace by Prof. Cleopas Angaye,
who retired in July 2013, having served for a maximum term of eight year, Mr
Ashiru Daura, acted as the Director General of the agency until Jack's
appointment.
A native of Abonnema in Rivers State of Nigeria, Mr. Peter
Jack has been into private sector practice in the area of core information
technology solutions and services since leaving NITDA in 2007. As a
consummate technocrat, he is a product of International Information
Technology Policy Program, College of Engineering, Seoul National University,
South Korea. He holds a BSc. in Chemical Engineering, University of Ife, Ile
Ife, a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA, both from the
University of Lagos in Nigeria.
He represented the DG/CEO on several key national
committees including the National Committee on Outsourcing, and the Public
Service Reform Committee and led the team that wrote the National Outsourcing
Policy. He set up the National Cisco Networking Academy Program in Nigeria. Mr.
Jack designed and implemented the Niger Delta Youth Computer Training Program
for Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2003.
Peter Jack is also
one of the receipents of the Global Fund Research Fellows between 2009 and
2010. The Global Environment and Conflict Resolution award was meant to fund
the first phase (Research) of a grand intervention plan to ensure peace, social
inclusion, and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.
The research
focused on exploring a consensus approach among stakeholders to identify the
best path to peace-building in the Niger Delta. It will methodically review the
current state of affairs in the Niger Delta Region in relation to level of
threat to national security and stability as well as catalogue previous and
current efforts at intervention in the Niger Delta.