By Chris Uwaje
As the nation prepares for the 2011 elections, there is need to rethink the process deliverables within the context of Data Security and Critical Software issues.

The core issue and concern of Nigerian Software Practitioners and industry is that future generations may pay a great price if our national database is left unprotected for foreign agents to manage. Indeed both the hardware and software should be controlled by indigenous solution providers.

The election process should be viewed as a fundamental laboratory for Nigerian IT Professionals and Industry to master the intricate challenges of electronic-based elections. It also provides an enormous platform for employment creation.

Indigenous companies are capable and should deliver a chuck of the scope of works, “No nation can succeed in the new (21st century) economy without the incubation, development and mastery of its indigenous software knowledge-base.

This is what nations like US, India, Malaysia and Ireland have done and many more nations have developed strategies to positions themselves to earn the tremendous benefits from the global Software opportunity windows.
The global Software market is currently worth well mover $1.7trillion USD! India is expected to earn about $40billion from Software in 2007 – more than what Nigeria can earn from its Oil & Gas revenue.

Software is Critical to National Prosperity and Security: From its modest beginnings some 50 years ago, computer software has become a critical element of modern society, with global reach and impact on virtually every aspect of human endeavor. Software is a key enabling technology in business, industry, government, and defense, and permeates products and services of all kinds.

It is no exaggeration to say that the progress of modern society is totally and irrevocably dependent on software, as clearly exemplified by the recent year 2000 (“Y2K) crisis.

Economic sectors such as manufacturing, financial services, communications, health care, energy, transportation, and education, as well as national defense and government, depend for the conduct of daily operations on software ranging from personal computer applications to large-scale, networked systems of astonishing complexity.

The critical issues of 2011 elections and the deliverables of its infrastructure and solutions should be given a rethink – based on the fact that the future of any progressive nation is largely controlled and managed by its indigenously controlled software.

In short, software has become a national resource backbone, vital to national survivability, well-being, sustainable development, creation of wealth and global competitiveness.