Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, feels the country’s youths are its most valuable asset, claiming that with the correct backing, they can transform the world.
The Minister made the remark on Monday while addressing at the Platform‘s Independence Anniversary celebration in Lagos. According to him, Africa has a large youth population, with Nigeria accounting for a sizable portion of that figure, many of whom are tech-savvy.
“If you have a second passport and you live in another country, you would find probably ten software engineers in Lagos before you find one in the UK in your cycle. Or if you are in the US, before you find one software engineer there, you would find ten in Lagos, or in Nairobi, or in Jo’burg. That’s the reality,” he said during the event tagged ‘Africa Rising Continent – Nigeria’s Strategic Role’.
“We are the future. And you know why we are the future here? We are a continent of 1.2 billion and forty per cent of those are young people – across Africa – I believe under the age of 25. And this is where Nigeria is important. It is not just that we show off for the sake of showing off.
“In Nigeria, it is 60 per cent of our 220 million people who are under the age of 25 which means we have the ingredient that is actually going to power the world because these young people are digital natives. And if we give them the resources, they can actually become that engine that the world requires to be able to strive.”
The minister while noting the country’s human capital, said there are Nigerians in most top academic institutions in the world.
“There is no top academic institution in the world that you don’t see a Nigerian,” he added.
Commending the country’s citizens for their drive to make an impact, Bosun said, “Most Nigerians are always restless no matter how much they have achieved. They always want to contribute”.
