Osun Lawmaker Urges Nigerian Youths To Bridge Digital Divide

A member, State of Osun House of Assembly representing Obokun Constituency, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye has charged youths to step up their games, broaden their knowledge and take advantage of new opportunity provided by the digital age.

The Lawmaker who described this generation as Information Age or Computer Age noted that any one especially youths who is not digitally literate is deficient, weak and cannot be a player in the socio-cum economic environment of the 21st century.
The lawmaker spoke at the maiden lecture of the Federation of Ijesa Students Union (FISU) in Ilesa on Saturday.
While stressing that the world has changed tremendously from a community of mechanical, manual and analogue operation to one that moved with supersonic speed on a high plane of gadgets, sophisticated technology, applications and softwares, Oyintiloye said refusal by youths or anyone to join the trend in a creative and proactive manner may perpetually limit him/her from reaping the fruits of the new age abundant life, economic opportunities and personal efficiency.
“Information communication technology platforms such as Social Media tools not only connect people, it also facilitates engagement of citizenry to contribute to governance in a unique way, the youths should be at the forefront in government engagement and demand for accountability”
The Lawmaker who lamented that several people were being left behind in the new age advocates digital literacy to be powered by private sectors and inspires by government policy.
“Comprehensive training should be encouraged for the citizens as well as public servants to learn new tools for communication, official dispatch, computation, report generation, strategic planning and networking to save cost and promote service delivery”
Oyintiloye noted that the economic possibilities in the ICT sector is enormous with the manufacturing of hundreds of gadgets everyday and development of software and applications.

“For any nation however to maximize digital possibility, its government and private sectors must ensure the growth of bandwidth and reduction in the tariffs on the cost of digital hardware. This will encourage widespread access by larger number of the population”.

He stated that aside job opportunities, young ones can take advantage of rapid development in the industry, key in to sales and services opportunities of new products stressing that knowledge of digital tools will also enhance personal and national security either from cyber bullying, or online predators who lurks at every corner, promote home safety and tracking of crime and criminality.

The parliamentarian urged youths to channel their energy and talents in making use of gamut of information on the internet and improve their skills, employability, be more innovative and resourceful rather than waste their precious time on the negative side of technology.

Oyintiloye added that the nation itself will become a competitive player in the era of globalization when larger percentage of the citizenry become skilful and possessed the working knowledge of digital tools.