The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education has donated 50 laptops and 50 industrial training course licenses, valued at over N80m, to students at Government Science and Technical College, Garki, Abuja.
The laptops are equipped with software to support a six-month training program in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Engineering.
During the handover ceremony at the college in Area 3 of the Federal Capital Territory, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational, and Entrepreneurship Education, Mrs Abiola Arogundade, said these donations were in line with the presidential mandate to promote innovation in technical education.
“We are providing licenses to 25 students for each of these courses, who will each receive a laptop already configured with the necessary software to effectively undertake the course,” she said.
Arogundade underscored the need to focus on advancing technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship education, aiming to enhance students’ skills in these areas.
“This initiative marks the beginning of a journey to stimulate innovation in technical education in the country, a core pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration,” Arogundade added.
She encouraged the beneficiary students to seize the opportunity presented by the training, envisioning them as future entrepreneurs in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
Arogundade encouraged the students to utilise their skills to become self-sufficient and contribute to Nigeria’s technological advancement, saying impact of Robotics Engineering and Artificial Intelligence on the country’s industrialisation and productivity.
She expressed gratitude to Messrs. De Lorenzo International for their support and anticipated continued partnership with the company.
Arogundade reiterated that these donations symbolised a significant step toward fostering innovation, enhancing technical education, and empowering students to contribute to Nigeria’s technological landscape.
She mentioned that ongoing interventions in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria and affirmed her office’s commitment to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate of promoting technical education.
She added that the donations to GSTC were the first in a series of gestures to technical institutions nationwide, with Yaba College of Technology in Lagos slated to receive Robotics Science and Artificial Intelligence equipment next.
Responding to the Federal Government’s gesture, the Principal of the school, Mr James Musa Kuta, expressed delight and described it as a privilege for Government Science and Technical College, Garki to be selected as the first recipient of these courses and laptops for the six-month program.
“It is a privilege that our youths are being introduced to Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at this age. Globally, these fields are highly relevant, and mastering them will enable our youths to compete anywhere in the world,” Kuta remarked.
Beneficiaries of the training courses, Young-Itiye Emmanuel, Simone Godsfavour Ojoacheli (Artificial Intelligence), and Muhammad Onono Hadiyyah, Augustine Daniella, Manasseh Goodness Injadoo (Robotics Sciences), expressed gratitude to President Tinubu’s administration and SSAP-TVEE for their commitment to youth development. They pledged to make good use of the opportunity to become experts in their fields and to train other youths.
