The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) recently urged young people to upscale their talent in emerging technologies for nation-building.
Mr Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, made the call during the 2022 Blockchain Developers’ Summit at Baze University, Abuja.
Inuwa spoke on how Blockchain Technology can support Digital Transformation and facilitate the Development of Nigeria into a Digital Economy.
He said that NITDA was committed to creating and stimulating the ecosystem for Blockchain technology and ensuring that Nigerian innovators thrived.
“There are a lot of opportunities in Blockchain and it is critical in every business.
“Talent is the human component of technology and innovations with Blockchain and emerging technologies are about the new solutions one is bringing onboard.
“So, you need to task yourself to know which solutions or offerings the industry requires,” Inuwa said.
According to him, the time for Nigerian youths to leverage the growing digital sector to tackle the myriad of challenges facing the nation is now, in spite of ethnic differences, because innovative ideas cannot be monopolised.
He said, “Innovation is beyond invention, it needs to get to the point of commercialisation and until you can pitch your idea for someone to pay for your solutions, the innovation would, sadly, only be just an idea.”
According to him, the government is building an ecosystem that will enable young ones to hatch their ideas from conception to realisation.
The NITDA boss also emphasised the need for the participants to have venture capitalists who would invest in their innovative ideas.
The DG also said that the organisation had developed the Blockchain adoption strategy to help stimulate the adoption of blockchain in the country.
He said that it would establish the Nigerian Blockchain Consortium, which the summit would address.
Other steps to ensure developing blockchain technology include strengthening developmental regulation and law and finding focus areas.
Promoting Literacy and Blockchain, Digital Innovation Incentivisation and the Startup Bill which has passed through the third reading at the National Assembly are also other steps.
Inuwa charged Youth Corps Members to take advantage of the opportunity and start a business before the end of their service year and possibly always ensure to be among the first movers in any digital-related endeavour.
The DG also inaugurated the Baze University Artificial Intelligence/Blockchain Laboratory in the company of some international innovators.
The summit was attended by no fewer than 1,500 participants, comprising majorly the National Youth Service Corps Members.
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The PDP spokesman recalled how the opposition party had on various occasions alerted that the APC government had ceded sovereignty over a large portion of our country to terrorists, “many of whom were imported into our country by the APC.”
He further stated: “From the video, in a brazen manner, terrorists as non-state actors boldly showed their faces, boasting, admitting and confirming their participation in the Kuje Prison break, some of whom were former prison inmates who were either jailed or awaiting trial for their previous terrorism act against our country.
“Nigerians can equally recall the confession by the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that the APC government knows the plans and whereabouts of the terrorists but failed to act.
According to Ologunagba, about 18,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists between 2020 and 2022 “as the criminals continue to be emboldened by the failures and obvious complicity of the APC and to which the PDP had always drawn attention.”
“This is not politics; this is about humanity and leadership, which leadership sadly and unfortunately is missing in our country at this time,” he said.
The PDP added that it is appalled by “the lame response by the apparently helpless, clueless and deflated Buhari Presidency, wherein it told an agonizing nation that President Buhari “has done all and even more than what was expected of him as Commander in Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military…”
“This is a direct admission of incapacity and failure by the Buhari Presidency and the APC. At such a time, in other climes, the President directly leads the charge and takes drastic measures to rescue and protect his citizens.
“In time of adversity, the President transmutes into Consoler-in-Chief to give hope and succour to the citizens. Painfully, Nigeria does not have a President who cares and can stand as Consoler-in-Chief to the citizens.
“It has now become very imperative for Nigerians to take note and realize that the only solution to this unfortunate situation is to hold the APC government accountable. We must come together as a people, irrespective of our political, ethnic and religious affiliations to resist the fascist-leaning tendencies of the APC administration.
Ologunagba called for an urgent meeting of the National Council of State to advise on the way to go over the nation’s worsening insecurity.
“Our nation must not fall. The resilient Nigerian spirit and ‘can-do- attitude’ must be rekindled by all to prevail on the President to immediately and without further delay, accede to the demand by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians to convene a special session of the National Council of State to find a lasting solution since the President has, in his own admission, come to his wit’s end,” the PDP spokesman declared.
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