THE National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has recognised and rewarded the efforts of the six students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, that did Nigeria proud in the recently-concluded Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals that took place at Huawei’s Songshan Lake Campus, the People’s Republic of China.
The Director-General of NITDA, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, presented letters of commendation along with a Tablet with e-learning software and an internet dongle with three months subscription, with a total value of five hundred thousand naira to each of the winners.
The presentation was made at the agency’s corporate head office, Garki, Abuja, and had in attendance the Managing Director of Huawei Technologies, represented by the Deputy Managing Director, Abuja Office, the Vice Chancellor Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, and the Vice Chancellor, American University of Nigeria (AUN).
In his remarks, Pantami commended the students for the excellent performance and urged them not to relent in their efforts. He further reiterated NITDA’s commitment, on behalf of the Federal Government, to supporting talented Nigerians to reach their potentials.
He advised them to think outside the box, come up with revolutionary ideas that will help in solving social challenges and always aspire to be employers of labour. He added that the country’s future relies on ICT as it is the driver of all aspects of the economy.
Similar event was held last year when the ‘Save-a-Soul’ team, the five young Nigerian girls from Regina Pacis Secondary School, Anambra State, won the famous technovation competition award in Silicon Valley, the United States of America, where each of the girls received an award and a Digital Divide Bridging Centre (DDBC) with ICT facilities, alternative solar power energy and internet connectivity, while a comprehensive e-learning application with educational materials, designed in accordance with the Nigerian educational curricular, was deployed to their school.