Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
The Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy through the National Information Technology Development Agency has empowered People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) in Rivers State with free laptops after training them on digital skills and innovation.
The ministry through NITDA concluded a five-day training programme of over 30 PLWD selected from the South-South on digital skill and innovation.
The ministry, however, urged them to key into its drive to grow the economy by harnessing human creativity through Information Technology (IT).
The Director-General of the agency, Kashifu Inuwa, who was represented by the acting Director, Corporate Planning, and Strategy, NITDA, Dr Aristotle Onumo, encouraged the participants to deploy their digital skills and make people feel their impact in areas they could no longer use their hands.
Addressing the beneficiaries, he said: “I know that you have gone through five days of intensive practical exposure to digital skills and are also empowered mentally and socially as well to go out there to create your digital world.
“There is no limit to what digital technology can do for you. As leaders, part of our responsibility is to give you the required digital skills and to ensure that for you to go out there and create your digital world so that you will create the required wealth and have your prosperity.
“You can no longer be among the redundant in our society. As long as you key into the digital world with the skills and tools that are provided for you, I want to assure you that by the grace of God the sky will be your limit.”
He explained that NITDA had the responsibility of playing a pivotal role in implementing the provision of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS)through NITDA’s Strategic RoadMap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021-2024).
He said the agency remained passionate about creating enabling environment for young people and people with special needs to excel in their chosen fields.
“I call them people with special and specific abilities because 35 per cent of great innovators in the world today are people of a dyslexic. They are people who do not like text but connect with pictures and they are the ones that are recreating the entire world,” he said.
In his speech, the Lead Technical and Operation, ICT Department, Rivers State, Austin Dimpka commended the federal government for providing the opportunity.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to make good use of the skills to generate wealth and employment opportunities describing the digital world as lucrative.
He said: “As an ICT person, I have not gotten any other job since I finished from the university till now, and I know how far I have gone. So, if you can double your efforts, you will be gaining millions of dollars. The first step to greatness is in the ICT industry just key in, the oil will flow before you know it.”
One of the beneficiaries, Serekara Lolah Abanu, from Rivers State thanked the agency and the Federal Government for the skills and free laptops.
Abanu said: “In five days, I have learned a lot, we learned Microsoft word where I was taught how to use it to create professional documents. It will help me to produce documents for people outside here.”