OUTSTANDING

Those who stand for nothing, they say, fall for everything, whereas those who stand for something are elevated by it. Engr Lanre Ajayi stood up for the cause of the internet accessibility in Nigeria and Africa – with a voice so consistent, a commitment so strong, knowledge so sharpened and devotion so total that he is known to be an apostle of the Internet; and today he is considered as one of the best brains in internet matters both within Nigeria and outside the shores of the country.

Spurred by the passion to carry his country along in the burgeoning world of Internet in 1995, Ajayi alongside other individuals and corporate organisations formed what is now known as the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) to bring online activities closer to the fingertips of Nigerians.

The  Ilesa, Osun State born Ajayi had his Bachelors and Masters degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Lagos and had acquired enough on-the-job experience while travelling around the world as part of NITEL‘s Research Department to see the need to introduce new ways in the effective management of telecoms issues in the country.

His experience in countries like the United States, Germany, Ireland and Britain, the genial Ajayi admits, opened his vista to the power – and beauty – of the Internet, making him to commit his knowledge to the cause that Nigerians must not be left behind when online activities emerged globally.

After 11 years of meritorious service to the nation as a staff of the Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), Ajayi, launched into the mainstream of the Internet arena with the establishment of PiNet Informatics Ltd, which became one of the first Internet Service Providers in Nigeria. His prowess and dexterity in managing the company brought him atop many organisations in the industry, where he continues to contribute meaningfully to the growth of Internet in the country.

Ajayi could be aptly described as a man of many caps having served many organisations at various capacities. A co-founder and the immediate Past President of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Ajayi has served as the Vice-President of the Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN) and as the Vice-Chairman of African ISP Association (AfrISPA).  He is also a founding member of Africa Network Information Center (AfriNIC).
He has served on the council of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) as the Chairman of Research and Statistics committee. He was Chairman of Technical Committee on the Nigeria Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) referred to as .ng. He was also the Chairman of ISPAN committee on the implementation of the Nigeria Internet Exchange Point.

As a proof of his international recognition, just of recent, Ajayi was nominated into the Generic Names Supporting Organisation (GNSO) council of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN, with headquarter in California United States, is responsible for managing the Internet Protocol address spaces and assignment of address blocks to regional Internet registries worldwide.

With his experience and skills in the industry, Ajayi has also served Nigeria in several capacities. He served as a member of the National Cybercrime Working Group (NCWG). He also served on the Federal Government committee on the National University Network (NUNet). He was appointed as a member of the presidential task force for the restructuring of the Information and Communication Technology sector in Nigeria.

Despite his efforts during his tenure as the President of the NIG and the achievements of the group, Ajayi believes that the NIG still has a lot to do before it can thump its chest in victory. To him, there are many factors militating against the usage and access to Internet in Nigeria since, according to him, less than half of the population of Nigerians can access the Internet today.

Besides, Ajayi was concerned that the majority of the 10 million Nigerians connected to the Internet prelude to the landing of the submarine cables in the country were not maximising their potential, which was why he pushed the NIG during his tenure as president to focus on how Nigerians can take advantage of the Internet. “We want to see Nigerians developing local content on the Internet. We want Nigerians to move their business online because when they do that, they become more effective, more efficient” he said.

Ajayi sees the Internet as a fountain where knowledge springs from, but worried that Nigerians are restricting themselves in its usage. According to him, “the Internet is more than a simple communication tool. If it is, it won‘t be described as the greatest invention of mankind. There are many other potential of the Internet that are not being explored in the country; the Internet is a great tool for e-learning, a great tool for e-commerce, a great tool for e-governance, but unfortunately they are not being exploited in our country. And this is all because of lack of awareness.”