President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, commissioned the North-West Digital Industrial Park of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which was vandalised by protesting youths during the #EndBadGovernance protest in August 2024 in Kano.
President Tinubu was represented at the commissioning by the Minister of Communication Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.
In his address, the Minister expressed the need for the young people in the state and the country to use the opportunities of the Park to tap from the various opportunities across the globe.
“This landmark project provided by His Excellency President Bola Tinubu under his Renewed Hope Agenda can serve as a difference between poverty and success in the life of youths who properly utilise the opportunity” he stated.
He lamented the vandalisation of the Digital Industrial Park during the August 1st, 2024 protests after all that had been put in place awaiting the commissioning.
Tijani however, expressed the dedication of the federal government to the project by ensuring its completion in view of its benefits to the people of Kano and North-West with about 180,000 people, equivalent to 10 percent of the total applicants from all over Nigeria.
“A week before the date of the commissioning, the unfortunate protest happened, and this edifice was completely destroyed.
“You can imagine how painful that experience was for me seeing this building completed in January. The excitement I had, hoping that this centre would be a centre where many young people would get breakthroughs in life, only to realise in the news, that it was totally destroyed,” the minister said.
He described as painful seeing that the destruction of the place was perpetrated by young people, but however did not allow the agony and the anger of the destruction to deter him.
“I immediately looked around and reached out to companies because I didn’t want bureaucracy to keep this location from being commissioned again,” he added.
He further spoke on the mission of the programme, explaining that it was conceived to create 3 million technical talents among Nigerians on digital skills so they can have access to the world and develop.
Speaking about the growing population of youths in Kano in particular, the minister stated that young persons aged between 10 and 25 years make 65 percent of the total population of the state therefore they need access to the global opportunities.
He urged the young people, parents, guardians and others to protect the digital centre, likening it to an edifice from which goods can be reaped in the future.
“You live at a time when the world in connected, knowledge is available to you wherever you find yourself for as long as you have opportunity and access to the centre. I have seen many young people in my life that have moved from nothing to become something with such opportunity,” he said.
In his address, Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, represented by his deputy, Abdussalam Gwarzo, declared that the state will train 300,000 youths in digital skills by 2027.
Governor Yusuf mentioned also that the state had since engaged in digitalisation through the training of 5,000 government workers who have acquired digital skills.
The governor praised the Minister for his dedication in ensuring that the centre in Kano recompleted and equipped while promising that the state government will give maximum contributions to its success.
Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida explained that the digital park was in line with the national digital economy and strategy.
“We are confident that this digital park will serve as fuel to serve the industrial people of Kano state especially the youths and support their pursuit of digital talent and development,” he said.
