By Naomi Sharang

Waterlight Save Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other NGOs have unveiled a strategic partnership to advance digital literacy among children and youths in the country.

The groups who converged on Abuja on Tuesday to celebrate the 2025 Children’s Day, all assured of digital education for Nigerian children.

Founder, Waterlight Save Initiative, Dr Ero Ibhafidon who acknowledged that there were challenges in the education sector, said that efforts are underway to ensure that every child is not left behind and every child gets basic education.

He said that children need to be trained on skills acquisition and not just formal education.

“We are not limiting our efforts to the classroom alone, but also skill acquisitions is also something that we want to start promoting, which we’ve already started.

“We want to take it up to the next level in digital education,” he said.

On the alarming rate of out-of-school children, Ibhafidon cited the words of late Prof. Obafemi Awolowo which is…

“If you ignore the children of the poor, then indirectly you are not protecting the peace of your own children in the future”.

Ibhafidon added that “So we believe that every child needs one or two skills in order to get going in what they need to get in life.

“They should learn not just skills of classroom learning, but they should learn different skills for themselves.

“The world is getting into a digital space. There are so many digital literacies that we should learn from home and also get educated from within our neighbourhood as well,” he said.

He said that his organisation was partnering with NITDA because we believe that technology is the way forward and NITDA is in charge of technology as far as the country is concerned.

Also speaking, Iklima Musa, Special Assistant on Strategic Partnerships to the Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to growing the ‘next generation of innovators’.

She said that NITDA, through the implementation of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2024 – 2027, has developed the National Digital Literacy Framework.

“This is meant to train Nigerians, or we want to achieve a percentage of digital literacy of Nigerians at 70 per cent; not just Nigerians, but also children.

“This is because we want them to have the competence and the proficiency for them to use digital technologies.

“But beyond the basic skills, the knowledge and the skills that we require them to have for children specifically, the framework has outlined digital safety and ethical awareness”.

She explained that this was so that children could be able to protect themselves while they are online and offline.

“Our children must be able to recognise harmful content and also be able to report inappropriate behaviours online and this is basically because we really want to at the same time, enlighten them, empower them and invest in them,” Musa said.

Also speaking, Executive Director, Sunday and Omoikhere Oriaran Foundation, Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony, said there was the need to build children’s hope for a better Nigeria.

“The future belongs to them. And if the future belongs to them, we have to nurture them and get them ready for that future.

“We have to ensure that they are ready to take over from us. Children need to be celebrated. They are pure gifts from God Almighty,” she said.

She said that children ought to be celebrated, adding that that was why the foundation set out to commemorate Children’s Day.

“We are celebrating the day with children from the orphanage; we have our orphanage children, they are all here.

“We said let them come out, mingle with children, both of the high and mighty in the society.

“The children from the orphanage aspire to be their best but are not given the platform.

“And what we strive to do as the foundation, is to give them that foundation to excel and to be themselves, to use their talent, to just explore their world and give the best they can”.

She urged governments and well-spirited individuals to contribute their quota to the fight against out-of-school syndrome.

Some of the children who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) expressed delight at the activities lined up.

Emmanuella Onyema, said she was grateful to the organisers while calling on government to improve on the quality of education. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza