Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday witnessed the official commissioning of a state-of-the-art IT Community Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State. The centre, donated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), is located within the Oladipo Alayande School of Science, Oke-Bola. Named in honour of Mrs. Onikepo Akande, the centre is part of efforts to bridge the digital divide and provide digital skills training to women and youth across the state.
In her remarks, Senator Tinubu highlighted the centre’s role in advancing President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to drive economic diversification through digitisation, innovation, and the creative industry. She revealed plans to commission ten more IT Centres in various states and encouraged residents to take full ownership of the facility. “The success of this centre depends on your active participation and utilisation of available resources,” she noted.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who gave a goodwill message at the event, applauded the high standard of the facility and promised the state government’s support to ensure its sustainability. He described information technology and artificial intelligence as essential to the future and commended NITDA and RHI for bringing the initiative to Oyo State. “We will take full advantage of this opportunity to empower our people,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, stated that the centre would equip youths with globally relevant digital skills, promote startup growth, and foster tech innovation. NITDA DG, Kashifu Inuwa, described the initiative as a strategic collaboration aimed at boosting Nigeria’s digital talent pool and fostering inclusive development. He said the agency is working with the Ministry of Education to embed digital literacy in school curricula, ensuring a broader national impact.