By COLLINS EMENIKE

There is something undeniably remarkable about the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma. Love him or hate him, one thing that has become apparent about the man is that anything he sets his mind to; he goes about executing it with the utmost care, attention and to the highest standards possible.

The recent graduation of 15,000 youths from the Skill-Up Imo Programme, a pet project of the Imo State Government anchored under the Ministry of Digital Economy and e-Government is a pointer to this fact about Uzodinma.

A laudable initiative, the Skill-Up Imo Programme represents a futuristic capacity development scheme focused on empowering youths of the state with cutting-edge digital skills that will make them relevant in the 21st century. The programme combines hard technical skills with soft employability skills, transforming beneficiaries into well-rounded professionals who can ply their trade at any level in the local and global digital economy.

The programme, which covers entry and advanced-level digital skills such as computer appreciation, device repairs and maintenance, content creation, web design and development, Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analytics, Cybersecurity etc., has been applauded by many as a useful tool to engage the budding human capital in Imo State, while also harnessing and unleashing their latent potentialities in the digital economy to improve the fortunes of the state.

Uzodinma has often received high praise from admirers and critics alike for the quality of roads he has built since he assumed office, along with the way he has lit up these road networks. Indeed, there is a school of thought that he has constructed the best quality of roads ever seen since the inception of Imo State.

However, the special thing that has set him apart and further endeared him to the youths of Imo State is knowledge democratization. For the first time in a long while, youths of Imo State have found a governor who is eager to empower them with 21st Century knowledge, rather than use them as political thugs to actualize selfish ambitions.

Interestingly, what is happening with the ongoing Skill-Up Imo Programme is the culmination of a promise made by the Imo State Governor. When he first assumed office, Uzodinma promised that he would change the lives of the youths and make them global citizens. In one of the major steps he took towards actualizing this vision, Uzodimma shocked many watchers when he convinced the-then Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami to release Dr. Chimezie Amadi, one of the best technocrats in the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) to head the newly created Ministry of Digital Economy and e-Government as Commissioner.

Ordinarily, a selfish politician would have appointed a lackey or one of his stooges to ensure loyalty or subservience or even to make political noise of this instrumental venture. But in his appointment of Dr. Amadi, Gov. Uzodimma showed the extent to which he was willing to go in rewriting the narrative of human capital development in Imo State. It is an open secret that round pegs are meant for round holes and Dr. Amadi’s appointment has indeed been a masterstroke. Under the guidance of Uzodinma, he has established the commendable Skill-Up project, while also putting in place global best practices and processes to not only equip participants with cutting-edge skills that would aid them secure gainful employment, but also empowering them with entrepreneurial knowledge that would see many succeed on their own.

This project, which commenced two years ago, is gradually putting Imo State on the map as a leading digital hub in Nigeria, but also making it the beautiful bride of tech giants and other corporates looking for quality human capital to recruit. About 5000 youths were graduated from the first batch of the programme – a number that many tertiary institutions in Nigeria would struggle to accommodate in their graduation list. Most of these participants were fed and received stipends for their transportation in the course of the programme and upon graduation, received laptops, tablets or smartphones.

These giant strides have not gone unnoticed and as a result, some notable and well-meaning citizens of Imo State have jumped on board to support the Imo State Government in this outstanding initiative. Consequently, several graduates of the Skill-Up Imo Programme have been employed in firms owned by leading Imolites. A good example is the Zinox Group owned by arguably Africa’s biggest tech guru, Leo Stan Ekeh, which was in the news for employing many graduates of the scheme.

In a country where unemployment statistic is at double-digits, the action of the Imo State Government in onboarding another 15,000 youths for the empowerment programme is nothing short of astounding. This batch of 15,000 participants underwent four months of intensive training by a faculty comprising some of the best minds in Nigeria and even from abroad. The participants also benefitted from exposure to trainings by several Imolites in the Diaspora. Upon graduation, the participants received either a brand-new Zinox or HP laptop at a well-attended event graced by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji; Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Nkiru Onyejeocha, many Distinguished Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, captains of industries and much more.

Currently, the news is that another set of 45,000 is being recruited for the next cohort of the programme.

Now, the interesting development is that these Imo youths who recently graduated from the Skill-Up project are also catching the attention of global tech giants. This is due to the structured contents and processes upon which the Skill-Up Programme has been built, all of which is transforming the 3R Digital Learning Centre into a Centre of Excellence in Africa. Representatives of some of these tech giants from Europe, Canada, Singapore, etc. have had the privilege of visiting the centre to see things for themselves. Owing to their conviction from the evidence on the ground, a number of them have expressed interest in a partnership with the Skill-Up Imo Programme under the Imo State Government which will see some graduates of the programme come over for an exchange programme to further shore up their global competitiveness and marketability.

It is remarkable that Governor Uzodinma has gone even further by promising to support the selected graduates by subsidizing their trip abroad to facilitate the partnership. The driving ambition behind this gesture is the fact that some of these graduates may eventually return to Imo State to establish startups after working for a few years in these countries, while others may even choose to work remotely for these global brands.

This is worthy of commendation and celebration.

For a state that once held pride of place as a beacon of light in the South-East and which in recent times seems to be struggling to reclaim its glory days, there is ample evidence that with the Skill-Up Imo Programme of the Uzodinma administration, Imo State is on the march towards becoming the envy of other states in Nigeria once again.

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