Sunday Ehigiator
The Federal Government (FG), through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE) has empowered 70 digital media personnel with tablets to strengthen grassroots communication and awareness of Federal Government vocational and entrepreneurship programmes.
The initiative, unveiled in Abuja, is aimed at improving information dissemination on the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), as well as government’s vocational, entrepreneurship and digital empowerment programmes.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on TVEE, Dr Abiola Arogundade, presented the tablets during a media information and empowerment meeting with digital media managers.
Arogundade said the engagement was designed to provide media practitioners with first-hand information on government initiatives and strengthen their capacity to connect potential beneficiaries with available opportunities.
She explained that the office would subsequently engage print and broadcast media practitioners to ensure that all segments of the media ecosystem were carried along in its grassroots outreach.
“The empowerment of media personnel is deliberate because you play a critical role in ensuring that government programmes reach communities, young Nigerians, entrepreneurs and other potential beneficiaries,” she said.
Arogundade stressed the importance of the media in taking information about government interventions beyond Abuja and into communities across the country.
“Without you, even if we go to these places, nobody will know. We want everybody to know what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing, not just here in Abuja, but in all states,” she said.
According to her, millions of young Nigerians, artisans, trained professionals and small entrepreneurs possess the skills and determination to participate in the digital economy but lack access to appropriate devices.
“A phone or laptop is a tool to find new customers and turn training into certification. Without it, even the most capable people are locked out of the world,” she said.
The presidential aide said the Federal Government was taking digital devices and skills training to states across the country to expand opportunities for Nigerians to participate meaningfully in the digital and vocational economy.
She urged the beneficiaries to deploy the tablets productively, particularly by amplifying information about government programmes and connecting potential beneficiaries with available opportunities.
“We cannot keep empowering technical people and forget the media. You are the people helping us pass this message to the world. That is why you are here,” Arogundade said.
She also called for robust media coverage of the forthcoming NPRGS Oyo State phase, scheduled for September 28 to October 9, 2026, describing it as part of the government’s grassroots empowerment drive.
The initiative, according to the office, reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding access to vocational skills, digital tools, entrepreneurship opportunities and timely information as part of efforts to promote inclusive development at the grassroots.