BY:
MUDASSIR ALIYU YUNUSA
NTA ZARIA.

What I would never forget about CITAD, THE CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT, was in 2002, I received sponsorship letter to study Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) at Hands-On Institute of Information Technology Beirut Road Kano, a Computer Institute affiliated to University of Lagos Computer Centre.

The letter was the Second among numerous kindness and unique generosity accorded to me by CITAD. The first one was the gold medal I received after I represented my Secondary School (the Prestigious Rumfa College Kano) during Computer and ICT quiz Competition organize by CITAD in 2000, we came First position and won set of color TV and some prizes.

It was really inspirational to me, by developing more interest to acquire IT literacy right from secondary school. We have received so many motivation and courage from our Principal Late Dr. Adamu Turaki alongside our Computer and IT Tutor Mallam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai who was also a resource person with CITAD.

CITAD is a reputable non-governmental and non-profit organization that is committed to the use of information and communication technologies for development and promotion of good governance.

It was established with the aim of providing Computer Literacy as well as to promote sustainable development in ICT among the society.

I was opportuned to be registered as CITAD member, firstly as a beneficiary and later absorbed as an Assistant Trainer/Instructor, and Facilitor in some programmes offered in the Centre.

The Certificate, Diploma and other special IT literacy courses and programmes have been paramount in making Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Gombe great in ICT especially among Secondary School Students. It has become a tradition by CITAD to organised annual Inter Secondary School Computer and ICT quiz Competition and also sponsored the winner to National ICT competition, in this regard my school Rumfa College represented Kano state in 2003 National ICT Qiuz held in Ibadan Oyo state courtesy of CITAD.

Among the functions of CITAD toward ICT Training, awareness and capacity building, I participated in few ICT awareness, sensitization campaigns and advocacies, e.g the Civic education/ road show at Gala Village of Sumaila Local Government, Capacity building and Career Talk in Zaura Babba Ungogo Local Government all in Kano State, Training and Capacity Building on Computer Appreciation to Kano State Civil Servants (Senior Staff, Directors and Perm Sects) held at Kano State Computer Centre Audu Bako Secretariat, Computer Training of Staff of Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil, Computer Training on Youths Empowerment Scheme by Kano State Government in collaboration with Office of the Special Adviser to Executive Governor on Youth Development in 2004, Transition Monitoring Group (Election Observers). Kano ICT Summit where CITAD in collaboration with Office of the Special Adviser to the Executive Governor on Education and Information Technology (SAEIT) have proposed to Kano State Government an ICT Park with the aim of making Kano an ICT leading State in the country.

To be honest, as a product and friend of CITAD, I most commend the Centre’s long time resilient and strength in exploring the IT world and make it easy, accessible and available not only to people in urban area but people in remote villages have benefited immensely from the large scale of CITAD programmes.

Let me acknowledge and appreciate the excellent performance and commitment of the CITAD founder Mallam Yunusa Zakari Ya’u (Ph.D) whose innovations and intellectual capability has became noticeable towards imparting Computer literacy specifically on Youths.

He groomed number of youths in IT, many of them have excelled in Global ICT. One good thing about Dr Y.Z Ya’u is that, he is very generous to his staff by giving out slots on ad-hoc basis to them. With this kindness I have the priviledge to offered an ad-hoc job slots to my friends and relatives, Baffa Kabir Gwadabe and Kamal Nuhu Abdullahi can testify to this. His clear mind and service to humanity accorded him a simple recognition, he was nominated and served as a member National Conference (CONFAB) during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. For these Mallam Y.Z deserve to be awarded with National Honour award for his contributions to the development of ICT in Nigeria.

During my stay at CITAD, I worked with team of capable hands, whose names and contributions will never be forgotten and would be written with Golden Ink as CITAD pace setters e.g Mallam Ahmad Yakasai (My Mentor), Mallam Garba Masama, Mallam Isyaku, Ado Yakasai, Sagir Ado Abubakar (Karamin Sakatare), Mustaphan Zainab, Muktar CITAD, Kamalu, Abubakar Muktar Yakasai, Muhammad Ibrahim Aminu, Jamilu Bala Jibril, Zahir Suleiman, Abubakar Fagam, Nura Masama, Fatima CITAD etc. Some are still working with CITAD. The most interesting thing about CITAD is that the Centre is always working diligently with professionals, intellectuals and experts from different walks of life called ‘FRIENDS OF CITAD’.

Now the Centre has grown up with customized services including online Radio transmission which make them exceptional and among the leading NGO not only in Kano but in Nigeria as a whole. CITAD sees technology as a tool to promote human and material empowerment, good governance, peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. It uses ICT to empower youth and women through access to information, skills & capacity building and online mentoring opportunities.

Its areas of work include applications of technology in governance and elections; socio economic and political awareness and campaign, youth development, empowerment and entrepreneurship; peace-building efforts, including hate speech monitoring, transparency and anti-corruption; ICT business development and promotion among others.

Long live CITAD, long live Staff of CITAD and long live Friends of CITAD.
mudassiray@gmail.com