We are educating Nigerian graduates to be employers of labour–Pantami

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, says the Ministry is working hard to educate  Nigerian students to be employers of labour rather than job seekers after graduation.

Pantami said this at the MTN Foundation Scholarship Award and Alumni Induction ceremony in on Thursday in Abuja.

The Minister, who was represented by his spokesperson, Mrs Uwa Suleiman, said that the aim of education in the country, today, was to produce graduates with digital and entrepreneurial skills, especially in ICT skills.

“The aim of education today is not to produce job seekers and this is actually the aim of the honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy,”he said.

Pantami said upon graduation, the graduates were already employers of labour because they had been equipped with the prerequisite skills to compete in the employment market.

The Minister lauded MTN Foundation for its contribution to the Nigerian society, especially in the provision of scholarships to the indigent students and visually the impaired.

He described the gesture as deliberate, adding that the world was going to acknowledge everything technology and science, the basis for technological development.

He advised the students to study their chosen profession as away of chatting their success in life.

He also said that such move was was keyed to the developmental strategies of not just Nigeria but the world at large.

“MTN’s decision to give scholarships in science related disciplines is delibrate. It is not random and it is not a mistake.

“What MTN is doing is indeed laudable because they say little drop of water makes a mighty ocean.

“Efforts from stakeholders, private organisations and public institutions like this add great value to the overall picture of digitalisation in the Nigerian economy.

“These things can be done in two major ways; capacity building and developing indigenous content. MTN Scholarship is for indigent students.

“I am particularly pleased that there is a special scheme for science related courses or for students studying in other disciplines.

“This gives impetus to the science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics drive of the present administration.

“It also adds value to local content development.”

Earlier, Abasi-Ekong Udobang, Senior Manager, Programme Implementation, MTN, said  this year, the Foundation would be awarding scholarship to a total of 165 students.

Udobang said that the scholarship would be renewed annually on the condition that the students maintained a CGPA of 3.5.

News Agency of (NAN) reports that each scholarship is worth N200, 000 and covers tuition, books, allowance and stipend for the academic year. (NAN)