Don Urges FG to Empower Youths with ICT Skills:
A university lecturer, Mrs Bukola Onilenla, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to empower the Nigerian youths by increasing their skills in Information and Communication Technology.
Onilenla, a lecturer in the Computer Science Department, Redeemers University, Mowe, Ogun, told the News Agency of Nigeria that government should take advantage of the immense opportunities in ICT to reduce youth unemployment.
“Using ICT to strengthen youth employability should be vigorously pursued, even when it’s not the only way. It should be used as a key tool, because of the potential of ICT,’’ she said.
According to her, talent profile depends on the nature and quality of ICT training and education that the Nigerian youth are exposed to.
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“It is my view that a range of incentives and curricular reforms are needed to ensure that young people are suitably trained to acquire jobs in the ICT sector,’’ she said.
Onilenla stated that the current mode of ICT education in Nigeria was outdated and needed a significant reform.
“This should include the creation of advanced ICT curricular modules to supplement and be integrated into basic ICT courses for youths in schools, youth centres and technology hubs, ’’ she said.
Onilenla said that enhancing ICT skills among the youth would enable more young people to venture into entrepreneurial activities.
She said that unemployment was a major challenge in a developing country like Nigeria, where the bulk of the workforce comprises of youths.
Onilenla added that the country’s higher youth and overall unemployment levels should serve as an impetus for creating an enabling environment for ICT innovation and expansion. (NAN)
