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By Simeon Mbisha Tanko
The success of any administration is in large part dependent on the quality of people appointed to serve in the administration. And it is indeed no easy task identifying such people who are expected to lend their intellect, time and energy to the governance process.
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The new governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang appears to have a knack for identifying the right people for his team. Thus, early enough, he has found a big fish, Mr. Datong, Dominic Gwaman who has been plucked from the apex bank of the country to serve as Director-General of the Plateau Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (PICTDA).
A golden fish, they say, has no hiding place, and so it is with Mr. Datong who brings the needed expertise to his new office as head of PICTDA. This particular appointment which is no doubt well thought-out is expected to facilitate a turn-around in an agency established to oil the machinery of government.
Before he left his prestigious work at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Datong was Head, Business Relationship Management (Operations Directorate) in Abuja. A tested technocrat, he on several occasions deployed his proficiency as a Business Analyst on the FAAC Executive Dashboard for the display Trends of flows and Disbursement of FAAC allocations.
Furthermore, in consideration of his important role in the monthly allocations of funds to the three tiers of government, Mr. Datong was also a Business Analyst for the deployment of Scriptless Securities Settlement System for Applications for Trade and Settlement of Securities (FGN Bonds, NTBs, FGN Treasury bonds, CBN Securities).
Placing premium and  importance of government daily instruments, Datong again led the SD-WAN Deployment connectivity across 46 locations of CBN enabled for Internet, Data, and inter-branch Voice Communication. So also, his expertise would be relied upon for the deployment of bulk Corporate Internet for Corporate Internet use by the CBN for wide variety of uses including voice calls, video meetings, etc. distributed across 46 locations.
Mr. Datong would also carry on his shoulders many other responsibilities such as providing strong leadership and guidance to team of business analysts; conducting regular performance evaluation and providing constructive feedback to team members. Imbued with deep insights, he also developed and implemented a strategic vision for the business analysis function as well as established standardized documentation templates, tools, with accompanying strategies to address them.
Datong who also headed the Network Operations of the Central Bank in Abuja oversaw the implementation of a robust business continuity plan support operations during the COVID-19 lockdown. He led the network team in the successful implementation of infrastructure to enable remote work initiative during the COVID-19 lockdown. A natural team leader, Datong managed and supervised the Network Team in providing enhanced connectivity across 46 locations of the Bank, resulting in a significant reduction of recurrent costs by at least 50%. Still, he would make substantial contributions to the ISO 70001 team and, for the response team, participated actively in the certification process.
Mr. Datong’s career at the apex bank also saw him head the Information Technology Infrastructure Operations and Management at the Bank of Agriculture. Here, he designed and recommended security solutions that best protected corporate infrastructure, and ensured all deployments adhered to the disaster recovery plan of the bank.
During this stint, he ensured that deployed and managed internet service met 99.9% availability for internal and external stakeholders, integrated new solutions into the bank’s network and security architecture, as well as managed Information and Technology (IT) infrastructure and people to ensure IT met its requirement to support agriculture in the rural areas.
Datong who served in many branches of the CBN in different states was also responsible for identifying and locating system malfunctions using visualization, manuals and computer-assisted diagnostic approaches. He was also responsible for installation of newly procured electro-mechanical systems, maintaining electro-mechanical systems to meet daily production targets and managing quality assurance program including evaluation, internal audits and customer survey.
Datong who is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in Leadership and Strategic Studies at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna had earlier acquired an MPHIL, Leadership and Strategic Studies at the same academy. His other educational endeavors and certification include Masters in Conflict, Security and Development, Masters in Business Administration, and a first Degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nssuka.
An old student of St. Joseph’s College, Vom, Plateau State, Datong has a Diploma in French Language and certifications Business Continuity Management, ITIL, Service Centre Analyst, CISCO Certified Network Analyst, and is a member of the prestigious Engineering Regulation Body, COREN.
Married and blessed with two beautiful girls, Datong hails from Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Tanko is an ICT expert and analyst based in Abuja. 09122262272 (sms) only.
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