The Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu, on Monday urged Nigerian youths and rural dwellers to key into the boundless opportunities in Information Communication Technology (ICT) to legitimately create jobs, jump start their low income level to high income ends.

Shittu also advised the youth to embrace ICT, train and keep retraining, saying it would significantly increase their access to education, global information pool, productivity, business opportunities and knowledge that are goldmine of money.

The Minister gave the advice in Ijebu – Igbo, Ogun State, during the Southwest zone stakeholders engagement workshop on ICT utilisation and sustainability, a programme facilitated by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF); an agency of the Fefeta Government, and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Speaking at the workshop themed: “ICT for community engagement through knowledge based development,” Shittu said the nation’s experience with oil wealth in the last 60 years and how it had not genuinely developed the country and the citizens, is a sufficient reason why there should be a paradigm shift to ICT.


He noted that there were other countries of the world which are ahead of Nigeria in all indices of growth and development because they depended on the strength of ICT.

“ICT is helpful in creating jobs, developing Nigeria and it will lead to eventual transformation of the country. This is why NCC is targeting 150 youths in the locality for training,” Shittu said.

Also, the Chairman of NCC, Senator Biyi Durojaiye, said the essence of the workshop was to create avenue to identify, train and equip hidden talents among the nation’s youth that would blossom to help grow the economy, create jobs and enhance national competitiveness.

In his remarks, the Secretary of USPF, Mr. Ayuba Shuaibu, who was represented by the agency’s Head of Strategy, Mr Kelechi Nwankwo, said the workshop enabled the stakeholders to interact with USPF in identifying solutions for two key projects – Community Resource Centre (CRC) and school Knowledge Centre(SKC).

According to him, the objective is to engender “sustainable and equitable ICT access for all.”

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/07/minister-to-youth-help-grow-our-economy.html