Bamidele Urges YABATECH Graduates to Embrace Digital Skills for Job Creation

Uchechukwu Nnaike

Considering the bleak future for fresh graduates, due to shrinking opportunities to secure paid jobs or build generational wealth, the Leader of the 10th Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has canvassed greater investments in digital technologies and entrepreneurial training as measures to address the country’s youth unemployment rate.

He made this recommendation recently while delivering the 37th convocation lecture of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) titled ‘Entrepreneurship Development in the Digital Age: Leveraging Technology for Job Creation and Economic Growth’.

Bamidele pointed out that trends worldwide, whether in established or emerging economies, show that it is no longer tenable for governments to provide white-collar jobs for graduates from higher institutions.

He highlighted the emergence of the digital economy, which he said has been driven by new technologies and digital skills. He explained the roles of the younger generations, especially new graduates, in driving the country’s digital economy through new technologies and the requisite skills in blockchain, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, web development, content marketing, cloud computing, immersive technologies, and other forms of digital marketing.

He also emphasised the centrality of digital skills “to the world of the 21st century”. He argued that countries seeking economic growth and sustainability in the present world should prioritise the need to import innovative knowledge and digital skills for the advantage of their people, especially the youth population”.

While stressing that it is no longer realistic for governments to provide white-collar jobs for all young graduates of tertiary institutions, he said, “The governments have now assumed the positions of creating environments that can enable creativity, innovation and invention.”

He added that governments “are seriously looking for ways to prune down the cost of governance and taking bold measures to drive innovations through synergy with the private sector”. According to him, this is evident in the recent resolve of the National Assembly to enact the Nigeria Data Protection Commission Act, 2025, to reflect new realities in the country’s digital environment.

Bamidele also explained the strategic national significance of the 2024 National Digital Economy and E-governance Act. Enacted by the 10th National Assembly. He said the legislation, which came into force in July 2024, attests to the federal government’s readiness to take advantage of the new skills and technologies generously offered.

He explained that the act effectively “defines the country’s digital economic environment. Its mandates primarily include enhancing the use of digital technology to grow Nigeria’s economy; creating an enabling environment for fair competition to promote innovation, growth, and competitiveness for the Nigerian digital economy; and enabling the digital transformation of public institutions and government processes for efficient and effective service delivery, among others.

With these reforms, the Senate leader encouraged the 8,000 fresh graduates to embrace the new technologies and acquire digital skills, pointing out that the new wave of technological revolution and the attendant emergence of digital economies around the world indicated that countries determined to survive the prevailing global economic realities should prioritise the impartation of innovative knowledge and technical skills in their young people.

“This is the secret behind the exponential growth of emerging economies in Asia. To attain a similar feat in Nigeria, our policymakers and state actors must prioritise entrepreneurship training,” stated Bamidele. “We must also  incorporate the development of technical skills, creative innovation, digital education, problem-solving skills, the imparting of managerial capacity and  interpersonal relationship development in our educational curricula from the primary to tertiary levels.”

The politician recalled the essence of establishing YABATECH: to provide full-time and part-time training in technology, applied science, commerce and management, agricultural production and distribution, and research. The senator observed that the institution’s priority in developing technology, creative innovation, and entrepreneurship training could not be overemphasised. For Bamidele, it is an eloquent testimony to the depth of the vision of past leaders who played a vital role in its establishment. He, however, challenged the college’s leadership to come up with more initiatives that would revolutionise the country’s digital education and transformation.

He admitted that public institutions cannot drive the process alone, and called on the private sector “to focus on mentorship and networking by pairing upcoming entrepreneurs with experienced ones; creating peer communities; facilitating access to markets”.

The Chairman of the governing council of the college, Prof Funso Afolabi, said the lecture topic was timely and profoundly strategic, saying that the essence was to prepare the new graduates to navigate the challenge of shrinking opportunities. Afolabi commended the guest lecturer for prioritising matters of public interest above his personal comfort, saying that the institution was honoured to have Bamidele, a seasoned legislator, an advocate for youth empowerment, and a passionate voice for national progress, as a guest lecturer.

“His insights on this subject would no doubt enrich their understanding of the intersection between digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth,” stated Afolabi.

YABATECH Rector, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, said that the lecture captured the essence of transitioning the institution to a specialised University of Technology and Vocational Training. And the essence, he said, is to fill the country’s digital skill gaps.

“We are not only preparing our graduates for the future of work; we are equipping them to shape it. The digital age demands creators, innovators, and problem-solvers, and today’s conversation challenges all of us to harness emerging technologies for sustainable economic growth.

“Our guest lecturer has uniquely provided insights into what the legislature has done so that the young Nigerians can unlock opportunities in AI, blockchain, digital manufacturing, fintech, cloud computing, immersive technologies, and emerging knowledge industries. His insights will further energise our resolve to produce graduates who are not job seekers. Still, job creators, leaders who convert challenges into economic value and deploy technology as a vehicle for national development,” the rector said.

The event was chaired by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele.