In an era when automation, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation are reshaping jobs worldwide, Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate leader, has emphasised the urgent need for Nigerian graduates to acquire digital skills.
Bamidele disclosed this at the Yaba College of Technology’s (YABATECH) 37th convocation lecture with the theme, “Entrepreneurship Development in the Digital Age: Leveraging Technology for Job Creation and Economic Growth” when he canvassed greater investments in digital technologies and entrepreneurial training as measures to address the country’s youth unemployment rate.
Bamidele, who was the guest lecturer, emphasised that Nigerian youth can only secure their place in the global economy by mastering relevant technological tools.
“The emergence of the digital economy, new technologies and digital skills drives global economies.
“It’s the roles of the younger generations, especially new graduates to drive the country’s digital economy through new technologies and requisite skills in blockchain, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cyber security, web development, content marketing, cloud computing, immersive technologies and digital marketing,” he explained.
The senate leader emphasised the centrality of digital skills “to the world of the 21st century.” Hence, 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.
However, he said it is no longer realistic globally for governments to provide white-collar jobs for all the young graduates from tertiary institutions.
Meanwhile, Bamidele disclosed that Nigerian governments are looking for ways to prune down the cost of governance and seek measures to drive innovations through synergy with private sectors.
“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; young graduates can only secure their place in the global economy by mastering relevant technological tools,” he noted.
Furthermore, he explained that the Act “defines the country’s digital economy; which 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; and enabling the digital transformation of public institutions and government processes for efficient and effective service delivery, among others.
He urged graduates to embrace the new technologies and acquire digital skills, because the technological revolution and the attendant emergence of digital economies around the globe 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 policy makers and state actors must prioritise entrepreneurship training. We must 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.
“This is the future we all envisage, and Nigeria, Africa’s leading nation in all ramification, cannot afford to be left behind,” Bamidele emphasised.
Taiwo Oyedele, chairman, presidential committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, who chaired the event, provided more insight into the deployment of new technologies for the development of startup businesses that can catalyse exponential economic growth.
Funso Afolabi, chairman of the governing council of YABATECH, said the theme of the annual lecture was “both timely and profoundly strategic.
“Its essence was to prepare the new graduates for how they navigate the challenge of shrinking opportunities.
“Its focus, became imperative at a time when digital transformation is redefining global competitiveness, reshaping labour markets, and expanding the frontiers of innovation,” he said.
Afolabi applauded the guest lecturer for prioritising matters of public interest above his personal comfort.
“Bamidele put aside the load of work on his table “to share his perspectives to the necessity of digital skills for entrepreneurial development in Nigeria and how the new graduates can leverage the new skills and technologies to tackle spate of unemployment in the federation,” he noted.
Ibraheem Abdul, the rector of the institution, in his address, said the lecture captured the essence of the transitioning of Yaba College of Technology to a specialised University of Technology and Vocational Training.
This, he said, is to fill the skill gaps in the country’s digital space.
“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,” he said.
In addition, he said, “Bamidele’s insights will further energise our resolve to produce graduates who are not job seekers, but job creators, leaders who convert challenges into economic value and deploy technology as a vehicle for national development.”
No fewer than 8,000 graduates converged on the auditorium of YABATECH, even though they have all completed their programmes, they are faced with uncertain futures; shrinking opportunities, whether in securing paid jobs or exploring generational wealth that entrepreneurship always offers.
By Charles Ogwo
