Failure to release prices for products to be sold under the Computer All Nigerians initiative by the government is responsible for the delay in the take off of the scheme, our correspondent has found.

It was learnt that the CANi Project Management Office, the body set up to oversee the scheme, is discussing with vendors to enable it determine final prices for the products. CANi was formally inaugurated in June and expectations were that the computers would be distributed shortly afterward.

Though it was generally thought that the prices of computers to be sold under the scheme would have an entry price of about N50,000, our correspondent learnt that when the scheme was initiated two months ago, the PMO wrote to the vendors to furnish it with prices they believe the products should be sold at.

The PMO had been set up by the National Information Technology Development Agency to oversee the CANi as a separate project among its other initiatives aimed at promoting IT growth in the country.

It was learnt that the PMO last week, wrote to the vendors running scheme – Zinox, Omatek, Brian, Speedstar, HP and IBM – asking them to review earlier prices sent to them. This follows what appears to be its dissatisfaction with the prices quoted. Officials of the firms involved confirmed this development.

The Marketing Manager of Brian Integrated Systems Limited, Mr. Sam Adeyemi, told our correspondent on Saturday, that the firm was at advanced stages o discussions with the agency.

“We will sit down on Monday and get back across to the PMO on prices based on the letter we received on Friday,” he said.

Earlier, Ms Chioma Iwuchukwu, Country Manager for Hewlett Packard Nigeria, confirmed that her firm had replied the CANi PMO and that it was awaiting final approval from the government to start distribution of the computers.

“We are ready for CANi and just waiting for the office in charge of the scheme to give the go ahead. Once they kick off the event, we will distributing our products to Nigerians,” she said.

Government had endorsed CANi, under Intel’s Government-Assisted PC programme to help address the unacceptably low PC penetration in the country, which was put at only seven in 1,000 per cent.

Besides Intel, Microsoft corporation is involved in the scheme with local assemblers of computers. Government is offering special discounts for the importation of components for the computers to allow the products to be sold at affordable prices.

Also, participants in the scheme will spread payment over some time