Enugu builds academy to reduce unemployment in Igboland

DETERMINED to reduce the growing rate of unemployment in Southeast geo-political zone, the Enugu State Government has  concluded plans to establish a software academy in Enugu where youths would be trained in software production.

The  State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Honourable Greg Nnaji, who disclosed this during the TECHDEV summit 2016, held in Enugu, titled, “ICT, Strengthening National Development Through Technology” said it would reduce unemployment in Igboland.

Nnaji urged the youths  to be creative, adding that the introduction of free trade zone (FTZ) in Enugu was an added advantage to them as it would create a competitive environment.

Also speaking, the Director of Institute for Development Studies, UNN, Professor Osita Ogbu, pointed out that Enugu would become an idea hub and intelligent city in the southeast with the establishment of the academy.

Professor Ogbu charged the participants to learn fast, be creative,  innovative, transformed and be connected since the youths  have all it takes to compete with their peers elsewhere.

“My coming is to ginger the youths to learn and to start thinking creatively as micro soft and other ICT jobs will soon be available.

“With the advantage of broadband from Galaxy that landed in Enugu which would make browsing faster and the establishment of Microsoft Academy, the youth of south east would contribute their quota in strengthening National Development through Technology,” Prof, Ogbu stated.

He called on the Government to support the initiative financially, because, “invention is not innovation.  We need to make sure that the knowledge impacted should not be wasted due to poor funding.

“Nigerians are consumers not creators, as we can not transform or develop any product basically because government is not funding the project.

“University is the center of learning, we should give the students the basic training needed to become the creators in the society to be the innovator not the inventor,” Ogbu advised.

A lecturer, who also spoke at the occasion, Dr. (Mrs) Deborah Ebem, lamented on the poor equipment in the universities, saying that there was no equipment to demonstrate what the lecturers teach the students in the classroom.

She suggested that government should stop approving more universities but equip the existing schools with the necessary equipment needed for proper learning.

Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Software Academy, Mr, Pius Okigbo said that the Software Academy would provide the leeway to an entry-level job seeker in software that is competitive any where in the world.

Okigbo said that for over 20 years, Nigerian universities had failed to fill the gap in the software due to poor funding, and called on youths to learn fast to stop the government from contracting the Indians for a software work.

He said that plans have been made to establish software industry in the south east region, pointing out that Enugu State would be the first place where the industry would be established.