Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s first lady, has inaugurated a N1 billion Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Digital Experience Centre at the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), Calabar.
The facility, established under the renewed hope initiative in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), is designed to expand students’ access to digital tools and skills, particularly for those who cannot afford personal devices.
The centre provides free access to laptops, desktop computers and other digital learning resources.
While inaugurating the facility at the university’s main campus in Calabar on Friday, Tinubu said it would enable students to learn, innovate and acquire digital competencies without being constrained by the cost of devices or unreliable electricity supply.
She said the project is part of a broader national initiative to extend digital opportunities to tertiary institutions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with selected institutions serving as beneficiaries in the pilot phase.
Other institutions selected for the initiative are Ekiti State University; Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra state; Kaduna State University; Kwara State University; and Taraba State University.
Bassey Otu, governor of Cross River, commended the initiative, describing the centre as a major investment in education and the technological empowerment of young people in the state.
Otu said the facility would help narrow the digital divide among students while equipping them with skills to compete in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
Also speaking, Aminu Masari, chairman of the TETFund board of trustees (BoT), said UNICROSS was one of six institutions selected as pioneer beneficiaries of the fund’s strategic ICT intervention under its 2024 activities.
Masari said TETFund approved the establishment of an ICT Experience Centre in each of the six geopolitical zones at a cost of N1 billion per zone, with UNICROSS designated to host the South-South centre.
He said the facility would expose students and lecturers to emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development.
According to him, the centre would also provide exposure to technologies with applications in critical sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, security, media and mining.
Masari said the intervention was designed to improve graduate employability, stimulate innovation and prepare Nigerian youths for greater participation in the global technology economy.
Earlier, Sonny Echono, executive secretary of TETFund, said the project underscored the fund’s commitment to expanding digital infrastructure and technology-enabled learning in tertiary institutions.
Echono commended the First Lady for supporting youth empowerment initiatives, saying her commitment had encouraged programmes of this nature.
He also praised the management of UNICROSS for its cooperation in executing the project and urged the institution to ensure that the centre and its equipment were properly maintained, secured and periodically upgraded.
Echono said TETFund would continue to invest in initiatives capable of strengthening digital capacity in tertiary institutions.
He said the centres should be viewed beyond physical infrastructure, describing them as platforms for opening opportunities for young Nigerians and supporting Nigeria’s transition towards a knowledge-based and technologically empowered economy.
According to him, the facility would give students access to contemporary digital resources while creating an enabling environment for research, learning and skills development.
He added that students without personal digital devices would particularly benefit from the initiative by helping to reduce disparities in access to technology and education.
Echono reaffirmed TETFund’s commitment to interventions aimed at improving the quality of tertiary education and equipping Nigerian students with skills required to thrive in the digital economy.
