Following the closure of the Omatek Ventures Plc, makers of Omatek Computers’ factory in Lagos, the dusts it raised are yet to settle. It will be recalled that the firm, which was taken over by a court order barely four months after the death of Mrs. Florence Seriki, founder and CEO of Omatek Computer, has been creating some ripples in the telecoms’ sector.
Daily Times gathered that the closure was due to an alleged inability by the company to pay up loans it owes some local banks. However, the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), under whose supervision the company fell has absolved self of blame following the collapse of Omatek Ventures Plc, makers of Omatek Computers.
In his reaction to the closure, the Director General, Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency, Dr. Isah Pantami, claimed that Omatek never contacted his agency.
“This is the first time I heard about the condition of Omatek Computers. It has never been communicated to us, formally or otherwise,” Pantami said in a statement.
Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, NITDA, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, quoted the DG, as saying, “I personally gave an appointment to Omatek for a meeting, but Omatek couldn’t make it; and no official communications was received on their inability to attend was made available to NITDA”.
The statement said,“I recently met all Original Equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in Lagos. Part of our discussions, was how NITDA can support them.
They explained all their complaints, but not the situation of Omatek. “For the first time in the history of the agency, we arrange a quarterly meeting with OEMs on how to strengthen local content.”
NITDA boss also argued in the reaction to the agency not intervening like other regulators that “The situation of Etisalat is far different from this.
9mobile has always been in touch with their regulators and they have considered them as their stakeholders.”
The late Seriki, fondly called ‘Mama Computer,’ until her death on March 3, 2017 in Lagos, was one of Nigeria’s pioneers and foremost indigenous Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that specialize in the manufacturing of computers and other ICT related devices.
After Seriki’s departure, Omatek appointed Yemi Ogundipe as the Group Managing Director of the company. Indeed, the late Seriki served as the Chief Executive Officer and Group Managing Director of Omatek Ventures Plc, which she started and nurtured to fruition about 25 years ago.
