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By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State Government has begun the empowerment of one million youths in the state with necessary digital skills to prevent cyber crime and enhance the knowledge of youths in online security. Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Education, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said this while speaking to journalists on the commencemen of the Second Phase of the Eko Digital programme.
He stated that aside from cyber security, the state government is equipping youths with skills in digital marketing, entrepreneurship, python and other programming languages that are relevant in the 21st Century digital age.
Wahab explained that the initiative is aimed at producing more tech-savvy Lagosians, stressing that an on-going training of over 5,000 youths at 11 centres is also part of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s development agenda aimed at empowering youths and students across primary and secondary schools within the state. Wahab noted that the on-going training was the second phase of the three-phase programme designed to build a system that ensures that youths do not need to wait for employment after their education, rather they can become employers of labour as well as solution providers for Nigeria, especially Lagos State.
The governor’s aide explained that the inclusion of cyber security in the curriculum would make youths relevant in the global digital market, just as they become solution providers for 21st century Lagos. He pointed out that the government designed the training in compliance with the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS) to provide human capacity for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) in their anti-graft war. Earlier, Assistant Project Coordinator, LoftInc Allied Partners Limited, the organisation collaborating with the state government on the programme, Ms. Olatokunbo Aiyenimelo, stated that the training expenses were fully borne by the government in order to attract more youths and remove the financial burden on the trainees.
