Saki monarch urges youths to acquire ICT skills for global relevance

The Okere of Saki Land, Oba Khalid Olabisi, has stressed the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills for youths in today’s digital age.

Represented by the Bakoja of Saki Land, High Chief Amos Olaoye, Oba Olabisi made this call during a visit to the ICT training organised by Techbridgers for secondary school students in Saki town, last week.

“Technology has defined and will continue to define the world we live in. Our youths must be equipped with ICT skills to adapt and solve existing and emerging problems in their communities and the country at large,” Oba Olabisi stressed.

“In this era of digitalization, ICT skills are no longer a luxury, but a necessity for survival and relevance. I encourage our youths to embrace this opportunity provided by Techbridgers and make the most of it. I urge Saki youth and Oke Ogun youth, in general, to open their minds to the possibilities that tech knowledge offers.”

Oba Olabisi commended Techbridgers for initiating the ICT training program, saying, “This is a laudable effort towards empowering our youths with the skills required to thrive in the 21st century. We wish you God’s blessing in everything you lay your hands on. We hope to have more than one centre in Saki so that we can capture and impact more young people.”

The ICT training programme aims to equip secondary school students in Saki with essential skills in Microsoft Office packages, computer programming, web development, and digital literacy.

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Also speaking on the sidelines of the training, the Project Coordinator, Olayinka Ojo, said the training is the second edition held in Saki and the eighth edition of the organisation.

“We were here last year and the feedback we got was impressive. We have four centres, three in Oyo, and the fourth is the Saki centre.

“The kids here in Saki were very green, with almost all of them having no prior knowledge of the computer. In about a hundred hours of training, we can beat our chest that we have young people that will go on to do well in life for themselves and the community,” Olayinka said.

The co-founder of Techbridgers charged the Okere to leverage his influence to ensure more schools in the town have efficient ICT facilities.

“We implore the Kabiyesi and the Okere-in-council to leverage their influence and goodwill to ensure more schools have efficient ICT facilities that are solar-powered. With that, we will be able to train more students and have a critical mass of kids with the requisite skill set,” Olayinka assured.

Techbridgers is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to equipping students in senior secondary classes with ICT skills.