300 children, youths for ICT training

Over 300 children and youths from across the country are presently assembled in Abuja for detailed training in information and communication technology out of which 30 would be selected to join their peers from across the world on ICT training in South Africa.

Chairman, Board of Trustees of Digital Peers International, DPI, organisers of the annual Digitest, Engr. Adeolu Odusote at the openingceremony of the Digitest 2012, titled:Digital Solutions to Youths Unemployment in Abuja, said the children would be taken through ICT training that will help them to be self-employed and better appreciate life.

Odusote affirmed that the youths were always at the receiving end whenever there was system failure in any country. He noted that the retreat/ training for the children and youths between eight and18 years, will see participants receiving thorough training on ICT from August 6 to 16, 2012 that will help them to be focused and self-employed in the near future.

Digitest is the brainchild of Digital Peers International, DPI which on annual basis takes children and youths to camp with all the ICT facilities and comfort during long vacation so as to keep them busy asthey learn and enhance their knowledge in ICT and at the same time, learn some morals and values that will keep them focused in life.

DPI also seeks to empower them to acquire information and the application of such acquired information to national development.

Odusote though regretted that 90 per cent of the youths were unemployed as many of them wait on government jobs which more often than not, are not forthcoming. He stated that there must be a solution to the menace that would help to absorb the teeming unemployed youths in the country.

“When ICT first came, it was like it would take jobs from people but people then began to realise that ICTcreates more jobs than taking the jobs from them.

“We have over 300 children and youths for this year’s Digitest for the10 days training out of which 30 would be selected to meet other children from around the world in South Africa on the 20th of this month. It will broaden their horizon,redirect their focus to better appreciate what the future holds for them.”

Earlier, Mr. John Osai, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs bemoaned the increasing rate of unemployment in the country.

Osai lamented over the escalating number of unemployed youths whichhe said has continued to be on the increase as more graduates were being churned out from tertiary institutions in the country without employment.

He said: “The high rate of unemployment in the country has brought frustration to the lives of many to the extent that life no more has meaning to them. The skyrocketing rate of poverty can also be tied to the high rate of unemployment which has risen to a crescendo.

“This, in itself, is a threat to nationaldevelopment because it makes many to take to criminal activities which hinders developmental movesin the country.”

He said that statistics had proven that “there is a steady increase in the number of unemployed youths inthe country such that the escalating cacophony of unemployed youths has been identified as one of the potential threats to the security and survival of the Nigerian nation”
The Permanent Secretary said that the annual Digitest retreat for children and youths would contribute immensely to curbing unemployment in the country as the youths would have learnt some skills that will help them to be self-employed in the near future.

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