By Constance Athekame
Abuja – Mrs Mary Uduma, the immediate Past President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association of Nigeria (NIRA), has called on government to build more Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hubs in the country.
Uduma, who is also the coordinator of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
She said building more ICT hubs meant creating more employment for the youth.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an ICT hub is a sustainable physical centre with the necessary infrastructure to provide generic services.
The generic services include tele-centres, desktop publishing, business support, application development, training, and information services to the community.
The past NIRA president said though there were some ICT hubs in the country currently, there was, however, the need for government to build more to encourage the youths.
“We have to build more hubs; only by so doing will ICT be brought closer to youths and this will encourage them to embrace the profession and come up with innovations.
“ Currently, we have ICT hubs. It is just for it to be communicated to our youths, especially the very brilliant ones.’’
Uduma said that a lot of progress had been made in the ICT sector, adding, however, that there was still room for further progress to make use of the opportunities the sector offered.
“I like the fact that Gov. Malam Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has introduced computer devices for secondary schools that will catch the students young.
“As long as children are touching the devices in computers, ideas will be coming and they can compete with other children anywhere in the world.
“Starting at that level is important, they become digital natives.
“At my own age, I am a digital migrate, so we want to breed digital natives and these are the children in primary and secondary schools,’’ the ex-NIRA boss said.
She urged young people to participate in ICT programmes and exhibitions where they could get noticed.
According to her, if a child has the desire to be an entrepreneur, it will motivate him or her.
Uduma added children should be encouraged to attend programmes to bring out innovations in them.
“There is a part for both government and young people to play that will bring out their talents when there is competition.
“There is this initiative by the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) called “Digital Friday or start-up Fridays’’, they can be a part of it.
“I know that there are centres that states are now opening up for youths to showcase what they have done,’’ Uduma said.
