By Stephen Adeleye.
In a bid to empower the youth and harness the potential of Nigeria’s growing population, Tech-Efiko, a digital skills organization, has launched an initiative to train young people in Kogi State in digital skills and sports.
Tech-Efiko organised a Tech and Sport event in collaboration with Kogi State Government through the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Monday Anyebe and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Kogi State, to commemorate Democracy Day on Thursday, at Confluence Stadium Lokoja.
The event featured Tech quiz, volleyball and football competition, board games, music, comedy, among others.
The organization’s founder, Mr. Oriyomi Odunsi, believes that by building digital capacity at the grassroots level, Nigeria can dominate the global tech space.
According to Odunsi, the idea behind Tech-Efiko is inspired by the strides achieved in countries like India and China, which have leveraged their large populations to excel in the tech industry.
He believes Nigeria has similar potential and can achieve greatness by identifying and grooming young talents in tech, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“The organization’s goal is to equip the youth with digital skills that can enhance their employability and problem-solving abilities.
“The program, which is in commemoration of Democracy Day, positively engaged youths in sports and digital skills training.
“The event features a volleyball tournament and a football match between the NYSC team and Dynamic FC Lokoja.
“The tech aspect of the event focuses on sensitizing participants on personal security, digital skills, and employability.
The Tech Efiko Digital Awareness drive is divided into three categories, targeting primary school pupils (Catch Them Younger), secondary students (Catch Them Young) and NYSC members (Skill Empowerment for Employability)” he said.
Tech Efiko commended the Kogi State Government for its relentless efforts in youth engagement and empowerment across diverse fields especially the tech space but believes there are more potentials to be tapped.
Participants, including the Captain of the NYSC football team and Dynamic FC, praised Tech-Efiko for organizing the event and engaging the youth in sports and digital skills training.
The Captain of the NYSC football team, Tempoyo, described the game as amazing and the referee as fair.
Ayooluwa Korede, an NYSC team player, commended the organization for putting the sporting event together.
Hazizat Balogun, co-convener, described the event as an eye-opener and urged youths to explore every idea that comes to their hearts and take action.
Our Correspondent reports that in the Volleyball match; 12 Brigade Spikers defeated NYSC Spikers with 3-0, while the NYSC FC beat Dynamic Spikers 3 – 2 in the football match.
Tech-Efiko’s initiative is a step in the right direction towards empowering the youth and harnessing Nigeria’s potential in the tech industry.
By engaging young people in sports and digital skills training, the organization aims to reduce youth restiveness and social vices, while enhancing their employability and problem-solving abilities.
