OPENING ADDRESS: BY THE HONORABLE MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MAJOR –GENERAL SAM MOMAH,(FNSE) AT THE INTERNATIONAL INTERNET CONFERENCE (ISOC NIG. "99) HELD AT HOTEL PRESIDENTIAL, PORT HARCOURT ON 20TH JANUARY, 1999.

It is worthy of note that my first two conferences this year are on information Technology. The first was the national coordinating conference for finding a Nigerian solution to the Millennium Bug, while the second is ofcourse, this international conference on Internet.

My Ministry spearheaded the Year 2000 Computer Workshop in August last year during which, the Head of State and commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, General Abdulsalami Abubakar GCFR, directed that concerted effort be made to get Nigeria fully connected to the Net. This you will agree indicates that the present Administration in no small measure is commited to promote Internet activity in the country. Some effort is already being made towards the preparation of Policy guidelines for Internet users, Internet Service Providers (ISP), etc.

As well as all know, Internet is a network of computer networks, which started at the US Pentagon in the 1970s through the convergence of computers and telecommunication. At that time, the US military used it for the fast dissemination of information but today, it is an indispensable engine of growth in all fields of human endeavour particularly, in business dealings, commerce, medicine, education and research work, which as you know, concerns my Ministry exclusively.

Through the Internet, We are now in a world in a world in which paper work is drastically reduced and top management conferences can be done through the Internet. Internet Information is now so up-to-date that it is virtually live, and is thus replacing conventional library. It can therefore , with adequate infrastructure, help educate those in remote areas and provide tele-medicine for them. In short, Internet will help accelerate our rate of development and therefore facilitate the bridging of gap between us and the development as a nation will depend on our level of participation in Internet activities. I therefore find
the theme of your conference viz: Internet: Information Revolution in the Third Millennium, most appropriate and timely.

In effect, I salute the organisers of this International Internet Conference for their initiatives and sacrifices. I urge you not to relent inspite of all odds. I am convinced, that when, in future, the roll call of those who made Nigeria great is given, you will surely be there. And among the first to be on the list will be our International experts here present.

In conclusion, I wish you all a very successful Conference. For our foreign friends, I wish you a very memorable stay in Nigeria. I hereby pledge that my Ministry will continue to do its best in supporting you and ensuring that Nigeria imbibes the Internet culture. Now, since this conference is in memory of John Postel, I pray, that his spirit continues to march on and on till the popular use of Internet becomes a global culture.