NCC EVC urges Nigerian youths on proper application of digital skills, ICT tools

*Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission, commends President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister for Communications and Digital Economy for the digital skills acquisition and empowerment programme

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

In regard to the Commission’s digital capacity-building initiative approved by the Federal Government, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has charged the Nigerian youths to apply the skills acquired and put the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools received in the empowerment programme to appropriate and legitimate use.

The youths recently participated in the nationwide digital literacy training initiative, which the country’s telecoms regulator has conducted.

Prof. Danbatta stated this while addressing the participants during the closing ceremony of the NCC’s Digital Literacy Training for the North-West, held on the Kano Campus of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) Friday, August 13, 2021.

Back Roll: Prof. Danbatta (centre) and the Trainees during the Closing Ceremony of NCC’s Digital Literacy Training for the North-West, Held in Kano State

The NCC EVC particularly enjoined the youths, who have had the privilege of participating in the training to apply the skills acquired in gainful activities in order for them to be self-employed.

Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs of the Commission in a statement Sunday, August 15 quoted Danbatta as telling the youths that “the training has provided for you, useful skills, which you have acquired to earn a living for yourself without necessarily relying on government to give you a job.

“It is our hope at NCC that you will apply the skills appropriately and impact on your friends and associates.”

He said: “I also urge you to resist the temptations to sell the laptops and other IT tools you are going to be provided with.”

The NCC Chief also commended Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Honourable Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, and the Governing Board of the Commission for implementation of the digital capacity-building initiative.

Danbatta described the training scheme as an important intervention approved by the Federal Government to make more Nigerian youths become self-reliant.

“We, therefore, express our profound appreciation to the President and to our Ministry for making this particular training, which is a practical demonstration of one of the important pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, possible,” he noted.

He further stated the Federal Government’s policy in this direction is aimed at lifting Nigerians, particularly the youths out of poverty.

To achieve this, he said, there is a need to impart skills to the youths who, in turn, will use the skills for self-employment.

The EVC explained: “It is consistent with this important policy of President Muhammadu Buhari that the Board of the NCC, two years ago, set up a committee of experts chaired by a former EVC of the Commission, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, to develop modalities and syllabus for the digital training of youths across the six geo-political zones of the country.”

The implementation of the recommendations of the committee of experts, as approved by the government, gave rise to the training, which targets 1,000 Nigerian youths to be digitally trained for self-employment, said he.

Earlier in his address on the occasion, Prof. Muhammad Ajiya, President of Digital Bridge Institute, applauded Danbatta for his untiring efforts at ensuring the implementation of the Federal Government’s policy in this regard.

Prof. Ajiya said noted the various modules of the digital, moral and leadership skills imparted to the youths during the course of the training would go a long way in making the beneficiaries to earn a living and be self-reliant.

Participants also expressed appreciation to the Commission for the digital skills acquisition and empowerment programme.

The statement also noted the training initiative is a brainchild of the NCC, which was aimed at implementing the Federal Government’s policy to lift Nigerians out of poverty.

It held for two weeks across each of the six geo-political zones of the country, it said.

According to the Commission, the youths cross the zones were not only trained by subject-matter experts in ICT but were also given laptops, Internet Mi-Fi, financial support and certificates certifying the digital skills, with which they have been equipped.

ConsumerConnect reports Wi-Fi is unlimited Internet access, in which users can access the Internet 24×7, no matter where they are. More so, there’s no limit on the daily usage, and it is high-speed Internet connection.

Board members of the Commission participated in the opening and closing ceremonies of the training programme in their respective geo-political zones in the country, the statement added.

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