Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has charged the Nigerian youths to properly equip themselves with skills that would make them relevant in a competitive world that is fast becoming a global village.
In a statement released to The Herald, the Speaker said that Nigeria can not afford to be left out of the trend of high technological growth and the youth must take up the challenge for self-empowerment and nation development as the future lies with them.
At the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capacity building and tools presentation programme organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Suleja Niger State and facilitated by Abubakar Lado, member of the House, Gbajabiamila expressed these thoughts.
The Speaker while presenting the ICT tools to the beneficiaries, said the importance of ICT can not be overemphasized because a knowledge-based economy is what is currently and will continue to drive the world.
He said: “ICT is the oil of the future. We are already in a knowledge-based economy and when you talk of knowledge, the first thing is ICT.
“There’s no better empowerment than to train the people, give them the tools and the skills that they will need for them to build the future for themselves”.
The Speaker, who was accompanied by Rep. Babajimi Benson (Lagos) commended Rep Lado for his foresight, “This is because he realises the importance of training the youth. With this, he is training the youth for the future.
“I urge you (beneficiaries) to put this knowledge and tools to good use for your progress, expansion of your businesses and national development,” he advised.
Earlier, Rep Lado, who represents Gurara/Suleja/Tafa Federal constituency, said the training workshop was not only in fulfillment of his election promises but the need to make his constituents self-reliant.
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NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa said the training was conceived to bridge digital gaps in the country.
He also said for the past three years the agency has been vigorous about its road map of regulation, capacity building, promotion of local contents, promotion of government digital services for job creation, digital inclusion (intensify investment etc) and cyber security.