EKITI, Nigeria — The Presidency has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s digital education policies are creating new economic opportunities for Nigerian students and graduates while equipping them with skills to compete in the global economy.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement, Comrade Sunday Asefon, stated this on Wednesday at the Renewed Hope Students’ Leaders’ Engagement and Digital Acceleration Programme for the Southwest Zone, held at Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.
The programme, themed “Empowering Students with Digital Skills and Innovation,” was attended by students drawn from tertiary institutions across the Southwest, reports Nigerian Tribune.
No fewer than 50 students received free laptops at the event to enhance their information and communication technology skills and support innovation.
Asefon described the Tinubu administration’s digital education initiative as part of its broader effort to expand access to functional education, employment opportunities and innovation.
According to him, technological innovation has increasingly become a major driver of economic activity globally, making digital skills essential for students seeking to translate their education into economic opportunities.
He said the programme, which had already reached students in the South-South, Southeast and Northeast zones, would be extended to other parts of the country as part of the administration’s inclusivity agenda.
“Whether you are in Medicine and Surgery, Engineering, Nursing, Education and Social Sciences, digital education can still help you create better opportunities, and that is why the President Tinubu-led administration doesn’t joke with this initiative,” Asefon said.
He urged students to acquire skills in information and communication technology and artificial intelligence, while identifying emerging opportunities that could improve their livelihoods.
“As students and future leaders, develop interest in ICT, Artificial Intelligence, get the right skills and recognise opportunities to change your lives. The Renewed Hope agenda is about helping Nigerians realise their dreams and achieve them to build a better future,” he said.
Asefon also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, saying the student loan scheme had benefited about 1.6 million students.
Recent NELFUND figures independently reported in August 2026 put disbursements at more than N322 billion for over 1.6 million students.
He said the scheme had helped students facing financial difficulties meet tuition and other approved institutional charges, while eligible beneficiaries also receive monthly upkeep allowances.
“The administration is also strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) because education is not only about certificates,” he said.
On the Federal Government’s support for science and technology education, the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Prof. Shaibu Shehu, said more than N232 billion had been disbursed as loans to students pursuing education up to PhD level.
Shehu, who was represented by PTDF Deputy Manager, Scholarship, Mr Salman Olowo, said the government was focused on producing engineers and technologists capable of innovation and practical problem-solving rather than graduates who merely obtain certificates.
A guest lecturer and Head of the Department of Computer Science at EKSU, Dr Oluwatoyin Yerokun, urged the beneficiaries to use ICT responsibly and avoid its negative applications.
Yerokun identified software applications in areas including mechatronics, data science, automobile technology, architecture, design, arts and science as fields capable of providing lucrative career and business opportunities.
Also speaking, President of the National Association of University Students (NAUS), Comrade Mitchell Anthony, said digital education was increasingly important to graduate employability, arguing that academic certificates alone were no longer sufficient in the modern economy.
Anthony also linked the programme to youth participation in politics, saying students and young people constitute a significant proportion of Nigeria’s voting population.
He said the numerical strength of young voters would be deployed in support of President Tinubu’s bid for another term in office.
However, INEC’s published 2023 voter register showed that Nigerians aged 18–34 constituted 39.65 per cent of registered voters, while those aged 18–49 accounted for 75.4 per cent. The commission is undertaking voter-register revalidation ahead of the 2027 general elections, meaning those historical figures should not be treated as the current 2027 register.
