The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE) have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to advancing innovation in technical education in the country.
The office, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, on Wednesday, donated 50 laptops and 50 industrial training course licenses, valued at over N80 million, to students at the Government Science and Technical College, Garki, Abuja.
The laptops were equipped with appropriate software to support a six-month training programme in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Engineering.
During the handover ceremony at the College in Area 3 of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abiola Arogundade, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational, and Entrepreneurship Education (SSAP-TVEE), emphasised the significance of the donations in line with the presidential mandate to promote innovation in technical education.
“We are giving licenses to 25 students for each of these courses who will each also receive a laptop which is already configured with the appropriate software downloaded to enable the beneficiaries to do the course effectively,” she said.
Arogundade reinforced the need to focus on promoting technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship education, with an emphasis on enhancing the advancement of technical and entrepreneurial skills among the students.
“It is the beginning of a journey into stimulating innovation in technical education in the country which is one of the major pillars of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Bola Tinubu administration”. Arogundade disclosed.
She urged the beneficiary students to seize the opportunity presented by the training, envisioning them as future entrepreneurs in the fields of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
She emphasised the potential for the students to utilise the skills acquired to become self-sufficient and contribute to the nation’s technological advancement.
Underscoring the importance of upscaling the skills of the nation’s workforce, she highlighted the potential impact of Robotics Engineering and Artificial Intelligence on Nigeria’s industrialization and productivity.
The SSAP-TVEE also called on the need for Nigeria to advance in industrialisation and technology and join the League of developed nations.
Drawing parallels with leading countries in the use of Robots and Artificial Intelligence, she encouraged the students to strive for excellence in their chosen fields, envisioning a future where Nigeria achieves significant progress in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
Arogundade expressed gratitude to Messrs. De Lorenzo International for their generous support and looked forward to continued partnership with the company.
“The initiative represents the beginning of a journey towards stimulating innovation in technical education in the country, aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration.
“The donations of laptops and training course licenses symbolize a significant step towards fostering innovation, enhancing technical education, and empowering students to become key contributors to Nigeria’s technological landscape.” She said.
She also pointed out that currently many interventions were going on in Nigeria in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence adding that by the donations, her office is contributing to President Bola Tinubu’s mandate of promoting technical education in Nigeria.
She added that the donations to GSTC was the beginning of a series of such gestures to technical institutions across the country, while disclosing that the next in line for the donations would be Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) in Lagos.
She said Robotics Science and Artificial Intelligence would also be donated adding that the courses being given to any technical institution would depend on the ones they show interest.
Reacting to the gesture, the Principal of the school, Mr James Kuta, expressed delight at the gesture describing it as a privilege to be chosen among many other technical institutions in the country as the first to receive the courses and laptops for the six-month programme.
“It is a privilege that our youths are being captured at this age to engage in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Anywhere you go now all over the world it is the in thing and if the youths perfect in them, they will fit in any part of the world”.
While expressing their appreciation of the President and the SSAP-TVEE, Young-Itiye Emmanuel and Simone Godsfavour Ojoacheli, both beneficiaries in the Artificial Intelligence Course, thanked the President for his interest and commitment to Nigeria youths.
They commended the SSAP-TVEE for bringing that commitment to reality by the donations to them.
Also, Muhammad Onono Hadiyyah, Augustine Daniella and Manasseh Goodness Injadoo, beneficiaries in the Robotic Sciences, hailed the administration of President Tinubu for its commitment to youth development in the country.
They expressed gratitude to the SSAP-TVEE for making them beneficiaries of the gesture, while promising to make good use of the opportunity by developing into experts in their chosen careers and training other youths in their careers.