First Lady Commissions ICT Centre at Yobe Nursing College
By Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has inaugurated a modern ICT Digital Learning Centre at the Shehu Sule College of Nursing Sciences in Damaturu, Yobe State.
The facility was provided to bring the benefits of digital education closer to students and the wider community.
The project was carried out in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Child Social Investment Programme.
It forms part of a nationwide effort to promote digital literacy and technological inclusion, especially among young people and women.
The First Lady, who joined the ceremony via zoom, explained that the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on diversifying Nigeria’s economy through industrialization and digital transformation.
“Our modest contribution through this collaboration has so far resulted in the establishment of 15 digital learning centres across the country,” she said.
She noted that the newly commissioned centre in Yobe is one of ten recently completed under the RHI programme.
The others are located in Abia, Edo, Delta, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo, and Zamfara States.
The First Lady encouraged young people, students, and small business owners to make good use of the facility to develop skills, enhance creativity, and explore new opportunities in entrepreneurship.
“Even small business owners such as those selling kuli-kuli can benefit from this digital revolution,” she added, emphasizing that digital knowledge is now essential for success in any field.
The project has two main components, Digital Learning Centres which provide computers and ICT tools to support education, and Community ICT Centres to extend digital access to the grassroots.
Senator Tinubu explained that some of the community centres are named in honour of distinguished Nigerian women — including the late Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, Amina Ndallolu, and Onikepo Akande, as a tribute to their contributions to national development.
Another centre in Benue State, she said, has already been completed and will soon be commissioned.
Citing NITDA’s achievements, the First Lady revealed that the agency has commissioned 296 digital learning centres nationwide, while another 148 are currently under construction, bringing the total to 592 expected to be completed before the end of the current administration.
In his goodwill message, the Yobe State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Muhammad Lawan Gana, applauded the initiative, describing technology adoption in healthcare and education as “a necessity, not an option.”
He highlighted Yobe’s growing investment in health technology under Governor Mai Mala Buni, such as the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems and advance diagnostic equipment such as MRI and CT scanners.
“Integrating digital training into the nursing college curriculum is both timely and essential,” Dr. Gana said, adding that it would boost students’ competencies and confidence when they enter the workforce.
The Commissioner commended Senator Tinubu’s commitment to women empowerment, which he said was necessary in empowering not just the individual, but the society as a whole.
