BRISIN will attract huge investment, check social vices – Coordinator

The National Coordinator, Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN), Dr Anthony Uwa, says implementation of the programme will attract huge investment to Nigeria’s economy.

Uwa told our reporter in Abuja that the project had wide spectrum of actions and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) offshoots that would engender high-profile investments.

BRISIN is an integrated system for the collection, storage and distribution of information to support the management of the economy.

The project was initiated by the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, while the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration inaugurated a Technical Committee for its implementation.

BRISIN is targeted at tapping into all aspects of the nation’s economy and bringing developmental and economic growth in the country through the use of data collection on people and other relevant information.

Data received will be used to plan for the management of the nation’s resources.

Uwa said that the benefit of BRISIN had no limit, both to the government and citizens.

“If we look at BRISIN as a system, we find that everybody is involved; government owns BRISIN, and we, as solution providers will not allow our system to fail, not when it is all-inclusive system.

“What makes a system not beneficial is when the interest of the citizens is not considered first.

“Our approach and strategy is a very enduring approach and foundational, because a house built on a solid foundation remains forever,’’ he said.

Uwa, also Managing Director of Dermo Impex Limited, the service provider of BRISIN, said the project would build on five focal data points in the country that would guarantee data governance.

He listed the points as demographic data, social data which include disability, security data and economic data as well as labour and employment data.

“These integrated data form the base for national data governance. Businesses benefit from data governance because it ensures that data are consistent and trustworthy.

“This is critical as more organisations rely on data to make business decisions, optimise operations, create new products and services and improve profitability,’’ he said.

The coordinator assured that his team would deliver on the benefits of the project.

“Don’t forget we are talking of data governance; we are not promising to change the wind, nor are we telling you we are robots.

“It is team work, and that is why government inaugurated Technical /Implementation Committee.

“Our team has consolidated experts in different fields and many other highly technological organisations from other countries would be allowed to participate in the construction of the centres under our guide,’’ he said.

According to him, BRISIN also provides a holistic way of fighting corruption, insecurity and unemployment.

Uwa said the project would fight social vices because it captured full demographic information of all inhabitants in a central pool right from the ward to federal levels.

“The system will run on robust ICT platform that enables the collection and usage of statistical data on individual profiles, including family composition, internal migration and employment status, agricultural and commercial activities.

“It facilitates and guarantees regular and continuous assessment and management of the economy at the national and local levels.

“It keeps crimes under check, prevents corruption, assists in revenue tax collection and helps in tracking macro-economic data for development, ’’he said.

He further said that the implementation of BRISIN would provide appropriate and sufficient data-gathering and sharing as solution to national planning, including job creation.

“Through this initiative, about the two million jobs can be created by establishing documentation centres in all the 8,812 wards in Nigeria.

“Information will go from the wards to the 774 local governments, to states and to the national central hub.

“Experts even reckon that BRISIN can generate 10 million jobs in five years,’’ Uwa said.