The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi visited the NITDA IT Hub (NitHub) at the University of Lagos on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
Accompanied by the Head of Project at GIZ /Digital Transformation Centre Nigeria, Dr. Thuweba Diwani, the NITDA boss was received by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa and the Director of NitHub, Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa.
The NitHub Director, Dr. Odumuyiwa, treated the visiting DG of NITDA to a presentation of the programmes, activities, and achievements of the facility since its commissioning on July 2, 2020.
“Since inception, the NitHub here at University of Lagos has trained over 1,200 people, many of who have gone ahead to do really commendable things in the tech space. We have also been able to attract financial support of over N20million from willing sponsors who see the good work we are doing here. We are open to every willing tech enthusiast of every age category, because we are on a mission to raise the critical human resource needed for Nigeria’s emerging digital economy”, he said.
A visibly delighted Mr. Abdullahi was unsparing in his commendations for NitHUb. He cheered its pioneering strides among the five other innovation technology hubs donated by NITDA.
“I am immensely delighted with what I have seen here at the University of Lagos. We built this kind of structures in six universities between 2019 and 2021, but you are the ones that have fully optimised it. Therefore, the question coming to mind right now is: How can the others learn from you? With what I see here, UNILAG is a success story and we can leverage your experience to encourage other parts of the country”.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Prof. Ayodele Atsenu expressed gratitude to NITDA on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor and the University of Lagos.
“The donation of this building facility synced very well with the university’s aspiration to become a notable player in the nation’s emerging digital space. We had the vision, but we were constrained in certain areas. When your generous donation came, it gave us wings to fly and the result is what you see here today”, she enthused.
The NITDA Director-General and his team were shown round the facility, to view all its sections, and to meet with various teams creating digital solutions to different challenges.
