US based Nigerian Cybersecurity Expert Atawa-Akpodiete to address PMI Nigeria, plans to train 36,000 Nigerians in ICT

A US based Nigerian ICT Expert, Dr. Alex. O. Atawa Akpodiete, arrived Nigeria this weekend to deliver a paper at Project Management Institute (PMI) Nigeria. Dr. Atawa-Akpodiete, who will deliver the keynote address on “Technology, Innovation and the future of Project Management”, is the owner of Atawa Technologies, which is part of Atawa Group LLC, with branches in Nigeria, US & Trinidad.

PMI Nigeria PMI Nigeria Conference 2018 has the theme: Innovate, Motivate, Integrate. The conference will be held on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at VCP Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Our reporters also learnt that Prof. Atawa-Akpodiete will be meeting with key stakeholders and some Federal Ministers on a Public Private Partnership that will lead to his company Atawa Group training over 36,000 Nigerians in various ICT/IT areas and getting them industry certifications so they can work in Nigeria or overseas.

Prof. Alex O. Atawa Akpodiete confirmed this in a telephone interview, specifying that the plans are to train 1,000 individuals in each of the 36 States of the federation According to him, “there is no reason why Nigeria cannot be the ICT/IT capitol of the world, or emulate what countries like China and India have done. Nigerians are very intelligent and just need the opportunity. We will bring in various training materials, platforms and learning management Systems (LMS) to deliver state-of-the-art training.” Concerning certifications, he opined, “Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) provides various certifications that we hope the students will obtain, along with Cisco CCNA for Network Engineers. Globally, certifications are surpassing degrees as industry requirements for both entry level jobs and career advancement. Ask Amazon and Google.”

The voracious learner has degrees in Computer Science, Cybersecurity and Law. He has over 33 years’ experience in technology, having worked as a computer programmer, Systems Analyst, and U.S. Federal government contractor through various companies. He is currently a Subject Matter Expert for Information Technology at a higher institution under a multi-million dollar US government grant. In addition, he teaches and consults on various areas of ICT, including serving as a curriculum reviewer for Cybersecurity and Internet of Things (IoT) courses for the US State Higher Education Commission. He has also previously lectured on Law, Ethics and Intelligence & Security Studies at Universities in Nigeria and United States of America.

Prof. Akpodiete is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds many industry certifications including ITIL, CompTIA IT Fundamentals, A+, Security+, Cloud Essentials, and Certified Associate in Health Information Management Systems (CAHIMS). He is a member of various technology associations worldwide.

Prof. Alex “Atawa” Akpodiete was an aspirant for the Federal House of Representatives and worked as consultant to various corporations, governmental and non-profit agencies. He was a former candidate for Circuit Court judge in America. He owns both a print newspaper, magazine, online newspaper and served on the Media & Publicity Committee for a major political party, Director of Communications for a Governorship aspirant and media think tank member for a sitting Governor and President. He is also the brain behind the quiz shows that organized in all six geo-political zones for the Nigerian Centenary celebration in 2014.

When asked about the upcoming presidential election between Atiku and Buhari, he refused to comment except to say that “for Nigeria to develop, we need to look less to government and more to private companies. The role of government is really just to provide an enabling environment, including security and certain basic infrastructure. If Nigerians succeed in business, politics will become less attractive.”

Dr. Alex O. Atawa Akpodiete is the author of several books and numerous articles, with articles in national dailies many of while he was a public affairs columnist for over 6 years. He is an international Conference Speaker, and has traveled to over 27 countries.

Dr. Atawa-Akpodiete who is an ordained reverend, is also expected to preach at a church in Nigeria during his visit. He unequivocally has an impressive CV that could obviously serve his home country Nigeria.

Nigerians are looking forward to job creation initiatives such as this by private Nigerians here or in the Diaspora.