The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has challenged Nigerian students to transition from passive consumers of technology to active drivers of innovation, urging them to leverage emerging tools to build solutions capable of transforming the national economy, reports ITREALMS.
Dr. Tijani gave this charge during the official commissioning and handover ceremony of the Renewed Hope–NITDA Innovation Hub at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. The state-of-the-art facility, established by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative, is equipped with modern, specialized laboratories dedicated to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Addressing an audience of students, academics, tech ecosystem stakeholders, and alumni, the Minister described the hub as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s human capital, stressing that the true value of the center lies not in its physical infrastructure but in the intellectual capacity of the people utilizing it.
“Innovation does not come from buildings; innovation comes from people,” Dr. Tijani emphasized. “Before these structures were erected, this university had a long history of producing top-tier talent, innovators, and leaders who have changed our country for good. It is not these buildings alone that will achieve our national goals.”
The Minister noted that the facility was conceptualized to bridge the gap between abstract academic theory and practical, commercial application. He observed that in the current digital dispensation, access to raw information is no longer the primary hurdle for young people.
“A lot of students are in school today at a time when knowledge itself is ubiquitous. There is virtually nothing your lecturers want to teach you that you cannot readily find online. The biggest challenge of this generation is the ability to apply the knowledge that you have been given or that you discover.”
Dr. Tijani illustrated his point by highlighting the rapid evolution of automation and artificial intelligence.
“If you want to know how to build a helicopter today, you can find the step-by-step schematics via Generative AI. But the critical question remains: can you translate that digital knowledge into physical action? That is what centers like these are meant for. When you are taught in class, you come here, experiment, and apply that knowledge to build something tangible.”
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor A. S. Bamire, expressed deep appreciation to Dr. Tijani and the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, for choosing OAU as a focal institution for strategic digital transformation investments.
Professor Bamire listed several immediate intervention packages delivered alongside the hub, including:
The donation of 50 high-performance laptops directly to students.
A $1,000 cash runway support fund for standout student innovators.
The formal commitment to deploy a 30-kilometer fiber-optic network loop to optimize internet connectivity across the entire university campus.
The Vice-Chancellor commended the NITDA Director General for the agency’s institutional consistency. According to Professor Bamire, these deliberate structural interventions have significantly boosted the university's capacity to drive specialized IT research, deepened digital literacy, and provided safe sandboxes for students to build globally competitive tech startups.
Concluding his address, the Minister issued a stern warning against bureaucratic bottlenecks that often turn national assets into underutilized, locked facilities. He charged the university management, faculty, and student union leadership to ensure the center remains democratized and fully accessible to all creative minds.
“The leadership of this country can build infrastructure and formulate policies, but if the youth do not apply their minds to build localized solutions, we will not achieve the digital economy we desire. This is a high-value asset. You must protect it, maintain it, and ensure it aggressively serves the exact developmental purpose for which it was established,” the Minister said.
The Renewed Hope–NITDA Innovation Hub initiative forms part of a broader national framework by NITDA to strengthen Nigeria's grassroots innovation ecosystem, equip young citizens with advanced tech skills, and position the country as a major talent exporter in the global digital economy.
By ITREALMS Bureau Chief/South West/Editor
Addressing an audience of students, academics, tech ecosystem stakeholders, and alumni, the Minister described the hub as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s human capital, stressing that the true value of the center lies not in its physical infrastructure but in the intellectual capacity of the people utilizing it.
“Innovation does not come from buildings; innovation comes from people,” Dr. Tijani emphasized. “Before these structures were erected, this university had a long history of producing top-tier talent, innovators, and leaders who have changed our country for good. It is not these buildings alone that will achieve our national goals.”
The Minister noted that the facility was conceptualized to bridge the gap between abstract academic theory and practical, commercial application. He observed that in the current digital dispensation, access to raw information is no longer the primary hurdle for young people.
“A lot of students are in school today at a time when knowledge itself is ubiquitous. There is virtually nothing your lecturers want to teach you that you cannot readily find online. The biggest challenge of this generation is the ability to apply the knowledge that you have been given or that you discover.”
Dr. Tijani illustrated his point by highlighting the rapid evolution of automation and artificial intelligence.
“If you want to know how to build a helicopter today, you can find the step-by-step schematics via Generative AI. But the critical question remains: can you translate that digital knowledge into physical action? That is what centers like these are meant for. When you are taught in class, you come here, experiment, and apply that knowledge to build something tangible.”
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor A. S. Bamire, expressed deep appreciation to Dr. Tijani and the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, for choosing OAU as a focal institution for strategic digital transformation investments.
Professor Bamire listed several immediate intervention packages delivered alongside the hub, including:
The donation of 50 high-performance laptops directly to students.
A $1,000 cash runway support fund for standout student innovators.
The formal commitment to deploy a 30-kilometer fiber-optic network loop to optimize internet connectivity across the entire university campus.
The Vice-Chancellor commended the NITDA Director General for the agency’s institutional consistency. According to Professor Bamire, these deliberate structural interventions have significantly boosted the university's capacity to drive specialized IT research, deepened digital literacy, and provided safe sandboxes for students to build globally competitive tech startups.
Concluding his address, the Minister issued a stern warning against bureaucratic bottlenecks that often turn national assets into underutilized, locked facilities. He charged the university management, faculty, and student union leadership to ensure the center remains democratized and fully accessible to all creative minds.
“The leadership of this country can build infrastructure and formulate policies, but if the youth do not apply their minds to build localized solutions, we will not achieve the digital economy we desire. This is a high-value asset. You must protect it, maintain it, and ensure it aggressively serves the exact developmental purpose for which it was established,” the Minister said.
The Renewed Hope–NITDA Innovation Hub initiative forms part of a broader national framework by NITDA to strengthen Nigeria's grassroots innovation ecosystem, equip young citizens with advanced tech skills, and position the country as a major talent exporter in the global digital economy.
By ITREALMS Bureau Chief/South West/Editor
No comments:
Post a Comment