By Suara Sherif
Equipping Nigerian youths with real digital capabilities, not just devices, is the foundation for the next economy, says Prof. Abiodun Aibinu, Vice-Chancellor of Summit University, Offa.
Aibinu, delivering the keynote at the launch of the Icitify Digital Skills Empowerment Foundation at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, drew a sharp line between access and skill.
“Owning a smartphone does not automatically make someone digitally skilled,” he said. “Using AI to generate answers is not the same as knowing how to evaluate them, spot errors, and apply them responsibly.”
He added: “We have to move beyond teaching young people to use technology to empowering them to create solutions, earn livelihoods and transform their communities.”
Aibinu said AI, data analytics and cybersecurity are reshaping how Nigeria works, and that the question is not whether every young person should become a software developer, but whether every young person should have the opportunity.
IDSEF Board Chairman Dr Taofeek Akinola said Nigeria’s roughly 110 million children and adolescents remain an under-converted advantage: “Our challenge is no longer simply how to educate more people, but how to equip more people with the skills to create value.”
He urged all tiers of government to sponsor digital and vocational skills at scale, and called on businesses to fund large-scale training beyond charitable donations.
Foundation convener Adelopo AbdulAzeez said the digital future will be shaped not by devices but by people capable of using, adapting and developing technology, with IDSEF targeting youths regardless of background, gender or location.
A smartphone is access; a skill is leverage. Aibinu wants Nigeria to stop confusing the two.
