" ITREALMS: Sesan commends Infotech Corps

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Sesan commends Infotech Corps

Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), Mr. Gbenga Sesan, has commended Infotech Corps for sustaining the spirit behind its finders, several years back, reports OBINNA NWOSU.

Speaking as a guest at the one-day Infotech Corps seminar held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at the weekend, Mr. Sesan said it was great fulfilment to see the initiative waxing stronger.

He was particularly thrilled to see that beyond focusing on members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the group has gone further to establish Infotech Club for secondary schools.

He highlighted three key issues hindering positive youthful contribution to the society, including what he tagged as ‘knowledge is limited, knowledge is useless and Nigeria is for sale.’

“With ripple effects like this, we’re about to take over the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) space in Nigeria with the projection of positive values over vices,” he said.

Knowledge, he said, is limited only to the extent to which individuals allow a glass ceiling created by themselves to exist.

“It is only limited by the glass ceilings that we create for ourselves. Some give excuses, others blame the educational system, but reality is that any serious young Nigerian can gain access to as much knowledge as he/she wants these days,” he said.

Through eLearning platforms, Mr. Sesan, individuals could learn more about their personal career paths and improve their skills to an extent that they become known as relevant stakeholders in their chosen profession.

For him, knowledge is useless when not applied, adding that a candle loses nothing by lighting others.

Nigeria’s several issues, he pointed out, present citizens and youth particularly with an opportunity to become solution providers.

“The solutions we provide can then bring us reward and maybe recognition,” he charged, stressing that knowledge is abundant but must be socially responsible to make sure that individuals add value to those around them, especially the youths.

He lamented that most young people assume that fixing their own lives at the detriment of others is the best that could happen.

“It is not. You will only be a target if you shine too bright and are surrounded by darkness. We must use our knowledge to empower others,” he advised.

He also predicted that the nation could be for sale in a few years time, if some individuals refuse to do what they are supposed to do at the right time and those who happens to be active and probably recognised could be tagged ‘lucky’ because they seem to be getting all the attention.

“It won’t be a matter of luck but adequate preparation. I say that Nigeria is on sale because smart people are learning and working hard to position themselves as solution providers in various areas of the economy,” he asserted.

Nigerians and the youth precisely, he pointed out, stand to benefit from being able to see farther into the future and possibly predict how new technologies will offer solutions to the problems facing them today.

He added that there will be two categories of youth corpers at the end of every service year, two categories of students upon graduation and two groups of Nigerians in the next few years.

“Those who will keep complaining, and others that will be rewarded for the problems they solve. The choice, really, belongs to each individual,” he submitted.

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