The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of New Horizons Solutions Nigeria Limited, Tim Akano, has charged Nigerian youths to play big in the emerging 4th Industrial Revolution in the country.
Akano posited that seven important technologies will dominate the new world order, including Cloud Computing, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, Quantum Computing and Cyber Security.
He spoke at the Leadership and Technology Summit with the theme: ‘Expanding the opportunities in the tech universe and empowering the Youth,’ organised by the National Association of University Students (NAUS) in Abuja.
Akano stated that throughout history, Africans have been missing at every important technology revolution party.
He recalled that Africa missed out on the first revolution tagged the Agrarian Revolution of the 17th Century, missed out on the 18th century industrial revolution and also the 19th century information communication revolution.
Akano, who spoke on ‘Optimising the Power of Technology in Wealth and Jobs Creation,’ traced the evolution of technology from the Stone Age “when our forefathers produced fire using two stones, to the ear of weather monitoring and forecast when the Greeks in 43BC invented the first Wind Vane with which weather was accurately predicted.”
He spoke about the invention of the first commercially successful steam engine that could transmit continuous power to the machine, a creation of Thomas Newcomen, a Scottish, adding that it was the steam engine invention that Europeans used in powering the industrial revolution, which led to their ascendancy as superpower and colonisers.
Akano pointed out that the third stage of technology evolution was the era of information communication technology when IBM, HP, Xerox invented the typewriter, printer and photocopying machines followed by the era of ‘Windows software and personal gadgets’ when the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Google guys, invented personal communication gadgets and search engine on world wide web.
In his speech, the President of the Nigeria University Students’ Association, (NAUS) Comrade Uchenna Marshal Obaji described Akano as “a Titan of youth empowerment, whose contributions towards the youth’s development in Nigeria are peerless and uncommon”.
Obaji noted that the event was meant to show appreciation to ‘Africa’s foremost Youth Mentor.’
At the event, the NAUS and 33 youths organization honored Akano with various awards for his peerless contributions to youth empowerment in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.
In a first-of-its-kind event held at the University of Abuja, the Nigeria university students’ body and the youths across Nigeria organised three-prong events in his honor, including the launch of a magazine tagged ‘The Titan’, where some of his empowerment activities were highlighted.
33 organizations from different parts of the country like Taraba, Katsina, Kaduna, Anambra, Plateau, Bauchi, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Lagos and Niger among others sent their respective leaders to come and present an award to Akano.
