​‌⁠‍⁠‌‍⁠⁠‍‌‍By Emmanuel Mogbede

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Abdullahi, says the agency is creating an enabling environment for young people to develop digital solutions, describing them as the country’s greatest human capital resource.

Abdullahi said this on Thursday in Abuja at an inaugural training workshop themed “Empowering Every Nigerian to be Heard”.

He said the workshop aimed to promote better engagement and improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by Tinubu Must Stay (TMS), a political pressure group of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in collaboration with DMI and Voices of Nigeria Initiative.

The workshop, attended by youths from across the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), focused on responsible digital and social media communication and fact-checking before publishing content.

“If we empower you, we empower our nation and we drive national prosperity. So, at NITDA, we have lots of activities from fostering digital literacy and cultivating talent of our young people.

“We have initiated the digital literacy for all to make sure every Nigerian is digitally literate.

“We want to see a farmer in a remote area in Kaduna or Katsina, using his mobile phone to improve his farm yield. The income of most of our farmers today is a gamble against weather.

“They plant today, rain stops tomorrow, they apply fertiliser, it rains immediately and washes the fertiliser away. Today, with a mobile phone powered with an AI app, you can use it as your personal agronomist to advise you on the best time to plant your seed,” he said.

Abdullahi added that increased farm yields would enable farmers to send their children to school, employ more people and use technology to connect with off-takers and sell directly to markets.

He said NITDA was partnering with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to train Nigerians, adding that more than 19,000 NYSC digital literacy champions were visiting markets and motor parks to provide one-on-one technology training across the federation.

“We are empowering young people with skills they can use to work remotely. We have many young people working remotely for companies in the U.S., UK and Saudi Arabia, earning dollars because of the skills they have.

“President Bola Tinubu is creating all the enabling environment for youths, and we know reforms are a journey, not a one-off event.

“No country in this world developed within less than 30 years. Go and read the history, check the theories for development. The fastest-developed country in the world is North Korea,” he said.

The NITDA boss said North Korea took 30 years to become a developed country, adding that the right policies had to be in place to achieve development.

According to him, Tinubu is developing the right policies and laying the foundation for Nigeria’s greatness in the interest of all.

“Today, Nigeria has built up confidence. Even in our tech ecosystem, this week, a South African investment fund announced they are going to invest 1 billion dollars in building a data centre in Nigeria.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the reforms of the Tinubu-led administration,” he said.

Abdullahi expressed optimism that increased confidence would attract capital inflows and encourage local investors to invest in the country.

He said Nigerians were the ultimate beneficiaries of the government’s ongoing reforms and should protect them to ensure continuity and sustain good governance.

He thanked the youths for attending the workshop, saying NITDA looked forward to their views on what the government should do and how best to sustain its reforms.

He added that Tinubu had approved a youth conference to engage young people and enable the government to formulate policies that would help shape their futures.

Also speaking, Mrs Marvel Jime, a digital expert, urged youths and the general public to communicate responsibly on digital and social media platforms to avoid legal consequences.

Jime emphasised the need to choose appropriate platforms for target audiences, verify facts and understand the legal implications of misusing social media applications.

“Be responsible and conscious of the possible impacts of your post, respect privacy, digital security and the law. Use your digital voice to propagate positive things.

“We are Nigerians and our voices deserve to be heard irrespective of how others feel. Know the right audience and the platform to reach them effectively,” she said.

She advised youths to engage responsibly and allow room for positive and constructive disagreements and questions.(NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru