About
Donatus Obot Etiebet
Chief Don Etiebet, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), Fellow of Nigeria Computer Society (FNCS), Fellow of the Computer Registration Council of Nigeria (FCPN), Fellow of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (FNMGS), Member of Society of Petroleum Engineers (MSPE), Member of Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationist (MNAPE), Member of American Association of Petroleum Geologist (MAAPG) amongst others was born on the 15th of September 1944. He is from Akwa Ibom State.
He holds a B.Sc. (Special Honours) degree from the famous Imperial College of Science and Technology, England and an M.Sc. in Applied Geophysics from the University of Western Ontario, Canada and worked as a Drilling Assistant with SHELL-NAM in Holland and as an Assistant Party Chief with Reo Trinto Exploration Co. Ltd, Toronto in solid minerals exploration in Northern Vancouver, Canada. He has been a Lecturer in Physics and Applied Geophysics at the University of Western Ontario, Canada and the University of Ibadan, respectively.
In 1972, armed with all these qualifications and experience in mineral exploration techniques upon his return to Nigeria, he set up a company, called Earth Sciences Limited in Resources Engineering and Mineral Exploration Company that applied computerized geophysical techniques to mineral exploration. Earth Sciences Ltd was the first ever indigenous Nigerian computer services company in mineral data gathering and processing using gravimetry and aeromagnetic techniques to map mineral and sedimentary deposits in the country. With support from the International Oil Companies and the Geological Survey of Nigeria, Earth Sciences Limited grew so fast that in 1979 it gave birth to Data Sciences Nigeria Limited (DSNL) to market computer hardware and software systems used in those services to others.
Don, as he is fondly called, worked very hard and branched from the oil services applications to computer applications in public services, education, examination processing, banking, utilities like National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in those days. In this respect, Data Sciences also grew very fast in the marketing and maintenance of computer systems having become the Exclusive Distributor of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) of Massachusetts, USA and other OEMs in Nigeria. Today DSNL remains one of the foremost Information Communications Technology (ICT) companies in Nigeria.
Chief Don Etiebet receiving the highest National Honours Award,
COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE NIGER (CON)
from the President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
In 1972, armed with all these qualifications and experience in mineral exploration techniques upon his return to Nigeria, he set up a company, called Earth Sciences Limited in Resources Engineering and Mineral Exploration Company that applied computerized geophysical techniques to mineral exploration. Earth Sciences Ltd was the first ever indigenous Nigerian computer services company in mineral data gathering and processing using gravimetry and aeromagnetic techniques to map mineral and sedimentary deposits in the country. With support from the International Oil Companies and the Geological Survey of Nigeria, Earth Sciences Limited grew so fast that in 1979 it gave birth to Data Sciences Nigeria Limited (DSNL) to market computer hardware and software systems used in those services to others. Don, as he is fondly called, worked very hard and branched from the oil services applications to computer applications in public services, education, examination processing, banking, utilities like National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in those days. In this respect, Data Sciences also grew very fast in the marketing and maintenance of computer systems having become the Exclusive Distributor of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) of Massachusetts, USA and other OEMs in Nigeria. Today DSNL remains one of the foremost Information Communications Technology (ICT) companies in Nigeria.
A former President of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) which he helped found, his pioneering and innovative efforts in computerization and data communications made his company the mother-of-all indigenous computer companies in the country and also provided the incentive to others to dare and entered the new industry as entrepreneurs. Some of them who branched out of his company are today big forces to reckon with in the areas of software development and application in the country. The Atuekong is regarded by all in the computer industry as the “grandfather of IT” in Nigeria and has received so many awards from the industry and professional bodies, too many to mention here including Life Fellowship of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) and its legal arm, the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), set up by an Act of Parliament to regulate the practice and use of computers. His pioneering works in the industry, despite very grave and deliberate original challenges contributed to the founding of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) committed to the implementation of the National Information Technology Policy of the Federal Government which made the Federal Government to accept the use of computers in her services much earlier than expected with the launching of eNigeria and eGovernance. The Don was also instrumental to the establishment of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) through his work on data communications and Internet applications in the country. In 1990, one of his Companies, OBODEX Nigeria Limited, an investment and real estate development company, launched the first ever Nigerian brand name in Personal Computers the OBODEX-PC which was assembled in Nigeria with the Naira sign keyboard, a first in the country.
in Ikeja, was completed in 1992 and it is one of the best finished and admired office buildings in Lagos.
It is therefore no surprise that at the most trying period of the nation in 1993, he was invited to serve the country, first as Secretary of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in the Interim National Government (ING) and then as Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources. He brought his spirit of hard work, honesty, dedication, transparency, accountability, enterprise and excellence to bear in governance during the period he served and achieved many productive and remarkable mile stones for the petroleum industry, including but not limited to the relaunching of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project and the establishment of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) headed by the former Head of State, Retired General Muhammadu Buhari who is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria today. The PTF was acclaimed as the most veritable interventionist organization in the country at that time for both social and infrastructural developments until it was disbanded in 1999. He first introduced the country’s monetization policy in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as taking DPR out of the bureaucracy of the Ministry to make it more effective and productive. As a Minister, he served his country sincerely, honestly and without blemish with many innovations in the management of the industry in the country.
