Renovation delaying full take off of Lagos Digital Bridge Institute — Official

Seven years after it was established, the Lagos Campus of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Oshodi, has yet to fully commence training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The Head of the campus, Mr Samuel Olarewaju, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that the inability of the institute to commence full training was the renovation of infrastructure.

Olanrewaju also said that the needed facilities that would aid education in world class research had yet to be installed, lamenting that the development was hindering the institute’s purpose.

NAN reports that DBI inherited the property of the defunct Nitel Training School which was overgrown with weed as at 2009 when the Lagos campus was created.

“The bulk of the activities that are actually going on is the renovation of the place so that it can now be made available to DBI students.

“The prolonged renovation is one of the challenges that we are having. We desire a campus that is up and running effectively and doing what it is meant for,’’ he said.

Olarewaju said the basic objective of the institute which was training in ICT was a priority for the management.

He said that even with the ongoing renovation, there were skeletal programmes running such as the Advanced Digital Appreciation Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADAPTI) which targeted lecturers.

The school’s administrator said the programmes which attracted up to 80 to 100 participants per session was a way to close the gap between lecturers and students for IT knowledge.

He added that the institute had also given services to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for their e-exam, Open University and Customs’ promotion examinations.

Olanrewaju said that most programmes at the institute accomplished within five to 10 days were designed to help those who were already working in telecommunications and information technology sector.

He said the institute was for Nigerians and foreigners and was not run like the university system as it did not have the structure of a conventional university.

A correspondent of NAN who visited the institute reports that DBI is open to the public and is managed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

NAN also reports that some of the buildings have been painted while its newly constructed mini-stadium with covered spectators stands has been overgrown with weed.