Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun yesterday charged Nigerian youths, particularly those in the creative industry, with harnessing opportunities provided by technological innovations to excel in their careers.
With particular reference to the already identified crimes and criminalities among the state’s youths, said to be a “major crisis and ticking time bomb” on the state’s lap, Abiodun expressed confidence that the youths will experience high yields on their creative efforts should they leverage technology to maximise their economic growth and development.
The governor made the charge while speaking at the Ogun Creative Industry & Technology Conference at the June 12 Cultural Center in Kuti, Abeokuta, the state capital.
Speaking against the backdrop of the World Bank’s assertion that the Nigerian creative industry can generate over 4 million jobs annually if adequately harnessed, Abiodun, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Youth Development and Technology Innovation, Dennis Ogunnaike, declared that the state’s youth would change its narrative from that commonly associated with crimes and criminalities to a better one.
“If you look at the creative industry in Ogun State, this is the bedrock of creativity and innovation in Nigeria. We can see where it all started and how to take it to our desired future.
“The World Bank says the creative industry in Nigeria can generate over 4 million jobs annually if properly harnessed. But how much of that harnessing are we doing?”
“We’re always in the news for the wrong reasons. Either it is the EFCC arresting 75 Yahoo boys in Sagamu or seven boys with human heads, and when you look at their ages, it’s usually between 17 and 22. I feel like we have a major crisis on our land. If we don’t address this situation on time, we’ll be nurturing a bomb under our noses without even knowing,” he said.
