{"id":527,"date":"2026-06-09T20:26:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T20:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=527"},"modified":"2026-06-10T01:15:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T01:15:22","slug":"oau-minister-inaugurates-hi-tech-hub-inspires-students-to-turn-ideas-into-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=527","title":{"rendered":"OAU: Minister inaugurates hi-tech hub, inspires students to turn ideas into solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>*<strong><em>Dr. &#8216;Bosun Tijani, Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, informs students, academics, alumni, and stakeholders at unveiling of the new Renewed Hope\u2013NITDA Innovation Hub at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Nigeria, the<\/em><\/strong><strong><em> advanced tech hub is a strategic investment in Nigeria\u2019s digital future<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect<\/p>\n<p>In line with the current administration&#8217;s agenda to diversify and transform the Nigeria economy, Dr. &#8216;Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), has challenged Nigerian students to become active drivers of innovation and technological development in the West African country.<\/p>\n<p><em>ConsumerConnect<\/em> reports Dr. Tijani stated this during the official commissioning and handover of the advanced Renewed Hope\u2013NITDA Innovation Hub at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, in Osun State.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"yjmP0Nt1ZY\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=478\">Nigeria&#8217;s rising telecoms consumer spending amid poor QoS, overstrained infrastructure<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cNigeria\u2019s rising telecoms consumer spending amid poor QoS, overstrained infrastructure\u201d \u2014 ConsumerConnect \" src=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=478&amp;embed=true#?secret=TGZqDcFVjw#?secret=yjmP0Nt1ZY\" data-secret=\"yjmP0Nt1ZY\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Minister students of the University, fondly called &#8220;Great Ife&#8221; by the students and friends of the prestigious institution of higher learning, to leverage emerging technologies to build solutions that could transform the country&#8217;s economy.<\/p>\n<p>The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) disclosed it established the new digital facility, in partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) of Nigerian First Lady (Senator) Oluremi Tinubu.<\/p>\n<p>The new tech facility is equipped with modern laboratories for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, and the Internet of Things (IoTs), stated the agency.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Tijani, while addressing students, academics, alumni, and stakeholders at the event in Ile-Ife, described the advanced tech hub as a strategic investment in Nigeria\u2019s future, stressing that its true value lies not in the infrastructure itself but in the people who will utilise it.<\/p>\n<p>He declared: \u201cInnovation does not come from buildings; innovation comes from people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore all these buildings, this university had been producing talent, innovators, and people who have changed our country for good.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is not these buildings alone that will do it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The FMCIDE Minister also explained that the digital facility was created to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical application, providing students with a platform to transform their ideas into real-world solutions for national development.<\/p>\n<p>Tijani also averred that in today&#8217;s digital age, access to knowledge is no longer the primary challenge for young people.<\/p>\n<p>The Minister noted: \u201cA lot of students are in school today at a time when knowledge itself is ubiquitous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is nothing your teachers want to teach you that you cannot find online.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The biggest challenge today is the ability to apply the knowledge that you have been given or that you find.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He further stated that innovation hubs, such as the newly-commissioned centre at OAU, are designed to enable students to experiment, create, and develop solutions that could address societal challenges while contributing to national development.<\/p>\n<p>Tijani challenged the students: \u201cIf you want to know how to build a helicopter today, you can find it on Generative AI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the question is, can you translate that knowledge into action? &#8221; &#8220;That is what centres like these are meant for. When you are taught, you come here and apply that knowledge to build something.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Minister as well urged students of the University, faculty members, and alumni to ensure that the facility remains accessible and fully utilised.<\/p>\n<p>He equally cautioned against allowing the centre to become an underused asset in the institution.<\/p>\n<p>The Minister emphasised that Nigeria&#8217;s aspiration to become a leading digital economy would depend largely on the ability of young people to develop innovative solutions and create value through technology.<\/p>\n<p>Tijani asserted: \u201cThe leaders can try, but if you do not apply your knowledge to build solutions, we will not get to where we need to be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an important asset. You have to take care of it, and ensure it serves the purpose for which it was established.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>OAU appreciates Federal Government, Minister and NITDA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Speaking at the event also, Prof. Adebayo S. Bamire, Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, expressed profound appreciation to Dr. &#8216;Bosun Tijani, Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; and Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA, for their sustained support and strategic investments in the University&#8217;s digital transformation journey.<\/p>\n<p>Prof. Bamire highlighted several contributions made by the Minister, including the donation of 50 laptops to students, a $1,000 support fund for student innovators, and the promise to provide a 30-kilometre fibre-optic network to enhance Internet connectivity across the University community.<\/p>\n<p>The Vice-Chancellor also described Dr. Tijani as a valued stakeholder whose commitment continues to positively impact the University community.<\/p>\n<p>He further applauded the Director-General of NITDA for the Information Technology (IT) regulatory agency\u2019s consistent support through the provision of critical digital infrastructure and innovation facilities.<\/p>\n<p>These interventions, Prof. Bamire noted, have significantly strengthened the University\u2019s capacity to adopt Information Technology, enhanced students\u2019 digital literacy, skills, and created greater opportunities for innovation, research, and technology-driven learning.<\/p>\n<p>The Vice-Chancellor as well noted that the partnership between NITDA and Obafemi Awolowo University has played a pivotal role in preparing students to thrive in an increasingly digital world.<\/p>\n<p>The agency revealed the Renewed Hope\u2013NITDA Innovation Hub forms part of its ongoing efforts at strengthening Nigeria\u2019s innovation ecosystem, promoting digital skills development, and equipping young Nigerians with the tools required to compete in the global digital economy.<\/p>\n<p>NITDA said by providing access to advanced technologies and hands-on learning opportunities, the initiative should empower students with the skills, creativity, and entrepreneurial mindset needed to drive technological advancement and support Nigeria\u2019s journey towards a thriving digital future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*Dr. &#8216;Bosun Tijani, Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, informs students, academics, alumni, and stakeholders at unveiling of the new Renewed Hope\u2013NITDA Innovation Hub&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Dr. 'Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister for Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA (r); and Prof. Adebayo S. Bamire, Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, at the Event on OAU Campus, Ile-Ife         Photo: NITDA","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_customify_content_layout":"","_customify_sidebar":"","_customify_page_header_display":"default","_customify_disable_header":"","_customify_disable_header_top":"","_customify_disable_header_main":"","_customify_disable_header_bottom":"","_customify_disable_page_title":"","_customify_disable_content_vertical_padding":"","_customify_disable_footer_top":"","_customify_disable_footer_main":"","_customify_disable_footer_bottom":"","_customify_breadcrumb_display":"","_customify_header_transparent_display":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights","category-infoeducation"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tijani-Commissions-Digital-Hub-at-OAU-cc.png",672,365,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tijani-Commissions-Digital-Hub-at-OAU-cc-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tijani-Commissions-Digital-Hub-at-OAU-cc-300x163.png",300,163,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tijani-Commissions-Digital-Hub-at-OAU-cc.png",672,365,false],"large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tijani-Commissions-Digital-Hub-at-OAU-cc.png",672,365,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tijani-Commissions-Digital-Hub-at-OAU-cc.png",672,365,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Tijani-Commissions-Digital-Hub-at-OAU-cc.png",672,365,false]},"author_info":{"info":["ConsumerConnect"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=20\" rel=\"category\">Highlights<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=3\" rel=\"category\">InfoEducation<\/a>","tag_info":"InfoEducation","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=527"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":553,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527\/revisions\/553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}