CPN honors ICT professionals with Distinguished Fellowship awards

The Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria) (CPN), the statutory body regulating the practice of computing and information technology in the country, has conferred its prestigious Distinguished Fellowship on a select group of senior ICT professionals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the profession.

At an investiture ceremony held in Lagos at the weekend, CPN President and Chairman of Council, Professor Vincent Asor, described the Distinguished Fellowship as “the Council’s highest professional honour,” reserved for individuals who have made exceptional, sustained contributions to the development of computing in Nigeria.

“Distinguished Fellowship is not a grade anyone can simply apply for,” Professor Asor said. “Candidates are identified and rigorously evaluated by our Fellowship Screening Committee and by Council, which comprise professors, chief information officers, senior government ICT directors and other recognized experts in the field. The award is a recognition of long-standing impact, ethical practice and leadership in our profession.”

Among those honoured was Mr. Adeyemi Mobolaji Akinyemi, a forensic ICT and cyber-security specialist known for his work on large-scale digital fraud investigations and the protection of critical national systems. The Council cited his pioneering contributions in forensic ICT, cyber-security and digital-fraud control, particularly in the design of data-driven controls for public-sector financial systems—as key reasons for the award.

Speaking after the ceremony, Mr. Akinyemi said the recognition underscored the importance of using technology to strengthen integrity in national institutions.

“This Fellowship is both an honour and a responsibility and is exclusively reserved for a very few” he said. “It reinforces the need for us, as computing professionals, to deploy our skills in ways that protect public resources, improve governance and build trust in digital platforms that millions of Nigerians now rely on.”

Professor Asor noted that the new Distinguished Fellows are expected to support CPN’s broader agenda of raising professional standards, combating “quackery” in the ICT sector, and mentoring the next generation of Nigerian computing professionals.

According to CPN, the Council will continue to identify and honour practitioners whose work has had a demonstrable, positive impact on the development and responsible use of computing in Nigeria.