The Chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. David Olusegun Odunmbaku, has launched a six-month digital skills empowerment programme for 154 youths within the council area, urging them to take active roles in the nation’s democratic process.
The comprehensive training at the ICT Centre Oluwole Ogba will cover key areas such as digital literacy, social media marketing, cybersecurity, digital entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing.
Addressing the participants, Hon. Odunmbaku charged the youths with seizing the opportunity to acquire relevant digital skills while exercising their civic duties by obtaining their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participating actively in elections.
He expressed concern over young people’s growing apathy toward governance, emphasising that meaningful change requires involvement.
“Go and register to vote and exhibit your civic responsibility,” he said. “Many of our young ones are disconnected from governance. Your decisions matter — you should be able to choose your leaders. If I had sat on the fence, I wouldn’t be chairman today.”
Odunmbaku noted that youth participation in governance remains central to sustainable development, describing the current administration as one that values intellect and innovation.
“We have a cerebral president who has created programmes that benefit the youths, such as the school loan scheme and the reinstatement of history as a compulsory subject in schools. As youths, you can change the status quo by participating in the electoral process. It may not be a perfect system, but it can only improve when you participate,” he added.
Dwelling on the empowerment initiative, the council boss described the digital training as a “fantastic opportunity” for the participants to acquire world-class technical knowledge and become self-reliant.
“Digital empowerment will give you the skills to reach the next level. The world has changed, and vocational skills have evolved into technology. Take this training seriously because you never know when you’ll need it,” he said.
