Abiodun urges youths to explore career opportunities in creative, tech industries

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has charged youths in the state to harness the opportunities provided by the creative and tech industries to leverage their careers.

Abiodun made the call at the June 12 Cultural Centre Abeokuta, the state capital, during the Ogun Creative Industry and Technology Conference.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Youth Development and Technology Innovation, Mr. Dennis Ogunnaike, the governor expressed the confidence that the youth will leverage technology to harness creative potential for economic development.

The governor, who identified crimes and criminality among youths as “a major crisis and ticking time bomb” on the lap of the state, said this informed his administration’s commitment to youth development and empowerment through information technology.

He said: “If you look at the creative industry in Ogun State, this is the bedrock of creativity and innovation in Nigeria.”

We can see where it all started and how we can take it to the future we want. The World Bank says the creative industry in Nigeria can generate over four million jobs yearly if properly harnessed. But how much of that harnessing are we doing?

“If you watch African Magic Yoruba, you will realise that over 85 per cent of the movies shown on Africa Magic Yoruba are shot here in Ogun State. But how much investment do we have to keep that as an economic multiplier here in Ogun State?

“Some youths are always in the news for the wrong reasons. It’s either the EFCC is arresting 75 Yahoo boys in Sagamu or seven boys with human heads, and when you look at their ages, it’s usually between 17 and 22. I feel like we have a major crisis on our land. If we don’t address this situation on time, we will be nurturing a bomb under our noses without even knowing.”

Delivering a paper on Creative Economy tagged, ‘Positioning Ogun as Nigeria’s Premier Hub for Young Creative Entrepreneurs through Innovation, Skill Enhancement and Collaborative Efforts’, a cinematographer, Tunde Kelani, posited that with the advent of technology, their ideas could reach a global audience, urging them to take advantage.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ola Oresanya, explained that the conference is a motivational programme aimed at encouraging youths to channel their energy in a right and profitable venture.

He said: “In Ogun State, we have a large number of youths. We have a large number of industries, and we need to develop our human capacity that can really support the growth of industries in the state.

“We don’t want our youths to be using their energy for cyber crimes or other criminal acts; we want them to divert the energy in a creative way.”