We Can Stop Suicide Bombers With ICT -FUTA Don

The Federal Government has been advised to take a proactive stance in combating the scourge of terrorism in the country by investing in the development and provision of bomb detector wearable devices that could be used to detect and disable bombs carried by suicide bombers. This advice was given by Professor Olumide Sunday Adewale, Head, Department of Computer Science while delivering the 72nd inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). Adewale emphasized that the economic development of the nation hinged on adequate security and that the current trend of suicide bombings was a great threat to foreign investors.

He stated that the wearable devices worn by security operatives will have radii of operation and effectiveness such that suicide bombers within the perimeter of any security operative wearing the device, will be detected and the operative alerted either by an alarm signal with coordinates of the suicide bomber. The operative through his device can then disable the bomb before it is detonated. Adewale who spoke on the topic “Convergence in Divergence in Information Technology: a Symbiosis” canvass for a strategy that will bring together government at all levels, industry and universities for the purpose of further developing research output into viable economic assets for the nation and ICT based security measures.

The Professor of Computer Science declared that the convergence has and will continue to have profound impact on technology, industry and the larger society and that technology convergence if appropriately managed, can play an important role in the economic and social development of any nation. Speaking further the don highlighted some of the opportunities brought by technological convergence to include: traffic modeling; internet based telemedicine system; data/internet telephony integration; digital libraries; personalized e-learning system; and web based system for University undergraduate admission, selection and placement.



Professor Adewale, however lamented that chances of abuse of the convergence by various miscreants, universal access to communication networks and issues like interoperability, interconnection, policy and regulatory framework are some challenges that may affect the opportunities offered by the communications and computing symbiosis. Adewale, who held the First Bank of Nigeria Professional Chair in Computer Science of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, from 2005-2009 proposed therefore that the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency; work in collaboration with Computer Professional Registration Council, Nigerian Communications Commission and Nigeria Computer Society to establish a perpetual act that will ensure local content in information technology projects and development in the nation, while discouraging the practice of giving IT jobs to ordinary vendors and foreigners at the expense of capable and competent manpower available in the country.

Concluding, the lecturer called on the Federal government to leverage on the communication network infrastructure in the country to stimulate market development and meet previous unmet societal communication demands in areas like healthcare delivery, monitoring of government installations, financial transactions and in the security of the lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry.

In his remarks the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Professor Tunde Arayela said the choice of the lecture was apt considering the enormous security and economic related issues confronting the nation. He described the lecturer as an astute scholar and a prolific researcher who had contributed to the development of the University in various academic and administrative capacities.

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