Use ICT to grow your business, Minister tells community

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Alhaji Isa Pantami, has urged the people of Hadejia community to utilize Information Communication Technology (ICT) for economic growth.

Pantami gave the charge when he inaugurated Hadejia Community ICT Centre on Tuesday.

According to him, the Hadejia Community ICT Centre is an intervention of the Federal Government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), under the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.

The Minister stated that the gesture was part of President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s plan to make people get the required knowledge and survive in the digital world.

According to him, importance of internet cannot be overemphasized, pointing out that people can sit in their bedroom and transact business across the globe.

“Internet has changed our lives and the way we transact business with people anywhere in the world.

“Internet can boost our economic prosperity and reduced the burden of our businessmen and women who travel oversea and waste money unnecessarily.

“One can stay in his room and access any type of goods or services through the internet and make payments online,” he added.

Pantami explained that the internet centre would help students enormously in JAMB and WASC registrations as well as other services.

He stated that the centre was built free by the Federal Government for the community, but the maintenance and sustainability of the place would be the responsibility of the people.

The Minister said there were only three of such types of centres across the country, which included Jigawa (Hadejia), Gombe and Enugu States.

Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru, and the Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Maje, in their responses thanked President Buhari for the establishment of the community IT Centre in Hadejia.

“You need knowledge of ICT in the quest for development and to boost your economic viability,” the Emir and the Governor stated.

They gave the assurance that the centre would be properly maintained to stand the test of time.

Earlier in his remark, the Director-General of NITDA, Alhaji Kashim Abdullahi, who hails from Hadejia thanked the Minister and President Buhari for supporting the initiative to site the community IT Centre through the Federal Government’s intervention.