The Acting Director of NITDA Information Technology Hub (NITHub) at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa, has challenged young Nigerians to rise and take responsibility for the future they desire.
He gave the charge as Guest Lecturer at the second edition of the Professor Ogundipe Innovative Challenge (POIC 2.0), held recently at the J.F. Ade. Ajayi Auditorium, UNILAG.
The Computer Scientist and Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert spoke on the topic, “Empowering Tomorrow: Unleashing the Potentials of the Gen–Z for Disruptive Innovation”.
He bemoaned the incremental nature of Nigeria’s manifold challenges and, more so, the seeming reluctance of the Nigerian system to own up to the reality of those challenges.
“Simply put, there is a problem with Nigeria’s tomorrow, and we need to begin to think critically and realistically about it if we want a brighter future,” he declared.
Using South Korea as a case study, Dr. Odumuyiwa made a strong case for innovation as the pathway for Nigeria out of the morass of multidimensional problems, and on to economic growth and global competitiveness.
He identified Gen-Z as the demographic bloc of the Nigerian population that is most attuned to the demands of Innovation and urged the authorities to create a friendly ecosystem that will harness their physical and mental energies for the advancement of the country.
“Generation Z, or Gen-Z for short, refer to the group of people born between the years 1997 and 2010. People in this category are characteristically entrepreneurial, creative, ambitious, and social.
Patience is not their strong suit; and that is not necessarily a bad thing, only if their tendency for action could be intentionally directed to creative and innovative pursuits.
They make up 30% of the Nigerian population and are, therefore, an asset base that Nigeria must begin to actively cultivate to stand a chance in the disruptive age of digital technology”.
He urged young Nigerians to use their digital nativity to their advantage, discard the ‘impossibility’ mentality, and leverage Artificial Intelligence to create value for themselves and the country at large.
“As members of the Gen-Z, you are full of ideas. It is important, however, to note that it is the implementors of ideas who rule the world, not those who merely possess the ideas. Digital Dexterity and AI Literacy are essential skills that you need to navigate the new age of digital technology disruption. Artificial Intelligence comes with a lot of opportunities which I urge you to leverage. Don’t be afraid of AI. It will only make you useless if you don’t know how to use it. So, with the coming of AI, Gen-Z, I urge you to take your ideas further and rule the world. I challenge you to arise and build your future!”
Impressed, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, addressed the gathering at POIC 2.0. commended the organisers of the event.
She assured them of the continued support of the University of Lagos for programmes that will complement its FUTURE-READY agenda.
Her words: “At the University of Lagos, what we are doing is to create new knowledge. We are nudging minds to think up new solutions to our existing problems and to anticipate future ones.
“We are working intentionally to produce those who will create jobs and so, we’re focused on ensuring that innovation happens, not just about sharing knowledge.
“To all the young people here, I say, “Think outside the box” and birth new solutions. Think about how you’re going to make Nigeria the best in the world and that can only happen by challenging your mind and looking for solutions to problems. You can be assured of our support for you”.
The 12th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos for whom the innovative challenge was named, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, was full of praises for the organisers of the event.
“We are not here to celebrate Ogundipe, but the students of the Faculty of Science who in their wisdom, and with the guidance of their lecturers, came up with this idea. They even went on to register a Foundation as a platform to nurture the idea.
“The programme started in 2019 and from what I have seen, this project will be taken far beyond what it has become today.”
Team Neptune from UNILAG, with a project in Bio-engineering emerged winner of the competition. It won the N1 million grand prize and free training from Opolo Global Innovation, a hub for talent promotion.
Team Horizon from the Lagos State University (LASU) came second with an Agricultural Technology idea, aimed at helping smallholder farmers get optimum yield from soil cultivation. It won N750,000 and free training from Opolo Global Innovation Hub.
Team Ilucens (from UNILAG), with its pitch on Food Processing won the 3rd Prize of N500,000 and TFree (University of Nigeria, Nsukka) won 4th Prize of N100,000 with its idea on Health Technology.
