The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has commissioned a state-of-the-art ICT Experience Centre at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State.
The centre, sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under the Renewed Hope Initiative, is designed to provide students, staff and other beneficiaries with practical skills in digital literacy, software development, data science, multimedia, online learning, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Commissioning the facility in Oko on Thursday, Mrs Tinubu expressed appreciation for the opportunity to be part of the project, praying for its continued impact on the institution and generations of beneficiaries.
She described the facility as an important investment in the future of Nigerian youths.
“I am really honoured to do this and I pray that God continues to bless this community and generations ongoing,” she said.
The ICT Experience Centre is part of TETFund’s special intervention to strengthen digital capacity and human capital development across tertiary institutions.
Speaking at the occasion, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arch Sonny Echono, said the centre represented more than physical infrastructure, describing it as an investment in people, possibilities and the future of Nigeria.
Echono said the commissioning was taking place alongside the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme for the South-East Zone, noting that both initiatives reflected the central objective of the Renewed Hope agenda, putting people at the centre of development.
He also said the food bank programme was a timely response to the needs of vulnerable Nigerians facing economic pressures, while the ICT centre addressed the growing need to equip young people with knowledge and digital skills required to compete in an increasingly technology-driven world.
“For us, the Centre represents much more than a physical facility. It is an investment in people; an investment in possibilities; and, ultimately, an investment in the future of Nigeria,” Echono said.
He added that expanding access to digital learning, innovation and technology would enable young Nigerians to transform ideas into solutions, skills into livelihoods and aspirations into opportunities.
According to him, the intervention aligned with TETFund’s commitment to human capital development and the emergence of a knowledge-driven economy.
“We are therefore honoured to partner with the Renewed Hope Initiative in advancing an agenda that recognises our youth as not merely beneficiaries of development, but as principal actors in shaping Nigeria’s future,” he said.
Echono also commended the First Lady for her commitment to women and youth development, saying her interventions had demonstrated that empowering women and creating opportunities for young people were among the surest pathways to strengthening families, communities and the nation.
He said TETFund remained committed to ensuring that the ICT Experience Centres achieved their intended purpose of expanding digital inclusion, nurturing talent and opening new frontiers of opportunity for Nigerian youths.
Earlier, the Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Hon Aminu Bello Masari, said the Federal Polytechnic, Oko centre was part of a nationwide strategic intervention approved by the Board to establish ICT Experience Centres across the six geopolitical zones.
Masari said TETFund had approved an ICT Experience Centre in each of the six geopolitical zones at a total all-in cost of N1 billion per zone, with selected universities, polytechnics and colleges of education serving as beneficiaries.
He said the centres were designed to equip students and lecturers with critical digital skills in Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development.
“The Board of Trustees recognised the need to align Nigeria’s education system with emerging global technological and industry standards,” Masari said.
According to him, the ultimate objective was to enhance graduate employability, foster innovation and position Nigeria to participate more effectively in the global technology-driven economy.
Masari urged the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, to ensure proper maintenance, security and regular upgrading of the facility and equipment in line with technological advancements.
The rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, said the commissioning was a landmark achievement for the institution and an affirmation of the First Lady’s commitment to empowering Nigerian youths through education, technology and innovation.
Commending the First Lady, Awuzie said the ICT Experience Centre, alongside the Chemical Engineering Building and Students’ Examination Centre, demonstrated the impact of TETFund’s interventions in the Polytechnic.
She said the facility would help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and hands-on technological experience, equipping students with competencies required to thrive in the 21st-century economy.
“The world is increasingly driven by technology, artificial intelligence, digital skills, innovation and knowledge. Our youths must therefore be equipped not merely to participate, but to excel and lead,” Awuzie said.
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