ICT: Expert Urges Govt To Empower Youths

An expert on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Mr Adeolu Badejo, has advised state governments to engage more youths in ICT-related programmes to empower them economically.

The Chief Executive Officer of Global Communications Ltd, Badejo, told newsmen in Lagos that such programmes should not be left to the Federal Government alone.

The expert said that he was worried that the average Nigerian youths could not compete favourably with their counterparts in other parts of the world due to the lack of appropriate ICT skills.

He, therefore, urged the state and local governments to design ICT programmes that would encourage youths to be innovative and creative through the acquisition of such skills.

Badejo said that the acquisition of such skills by the young Nigerians would promote the image of the country.

“How can we compete with the rest of the world when we neglect our youths, when they engage in social vices and fraudulent activities such as cyber crimes?

“Yet, we are clamouring to become one of the 20 developed countries by 2020, but we are not developing our human capacity towards that goal.’’

Badejo said the dream of Vision 20:2020 was realisable if conscious efforts were made to build and unlock the innovation capabilities of the youths.

“Nigerian youths are blessed with talents, but we need to help them discover their talents through training and empowerment.

“The issue of insecurity in the northern part of the country may be put to rest if the local councils could develop the minds of the youths at the grassroots.”

Badejo advised governments to introduce ICT competition to harness the potential of young and intelligent youths in the rural and urban centres.