By Emeka Aginam

Again, stakeholders in the Nigerian IT industry who gathered in Lagos at the weekend for the 2013 Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) President’s Dinner were worried, saying that unemployment will remain unabated except youth entrepreneurship through software development for job creation is encouraged.

Speaker after speaker at the event while expressing worry over the death of skilled software human capital among youth warned that if young graduate were not encouraged to write software code, Nigerian may remain a consumer nation and digital colony of the developed economies in the global competitiveness.

According to the forum, software code writing if well explored will open windows opportunities for IT entrepreneurs with particular reference to software start-ups. The event with the theme-Framework for entrepreneurship and venture capital in the ICT industry-the role of software’ enabled the attendees to examine the critical role of software for national development and future survivability of Nigeria.

Earlier in his welcome address, the ISPON President, Chris Uwaje told the gathering that government must begin to engage the youth in software code writing otherwise digital colonization by foreign nations will continue.

“With 60.3% youth population, Nigeria is definitely a nation to reckon with in the emerging information society. The comfortable mantra seeking to explain the inability to designate special funding scheme to promote innovation and Youth Entrepreneurship Start-up Development on the grounds of lack of realistic collateral for lending opportunities, is to state the least, a blatant misinformation to the pioneers and champions of Software Nigeria.

Delivering his keynote address, Mr Jim Ovia, Chairman, Quantum Capital Group said that any country who fails to innovate in the 21st century knowledge society will be left out eventually. Citing the example of Mark Zuckerberg, he said: “We have to continue to innovate to be part of the information society. Iam passionate about youth development. Iam passionate about youth engagement in software programing” he said.

Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota. Prof. Charles Ayo who was the Chairman of the 2013 ISPON President Dinner, said that the youth must be retooled to software engineering for the challenges ahead after graduation from the university.

“My concern today is lack of innovation among the Nigerian youth. Institutions of higher learning must strive to graduate entrepreneurial youths rather the one that will be in the street looking for job that may not go round” he said.

In the opinion of the representatives of Special adviser on ICT to the Governor of Cross River, Victoria Uju, development of any nation in the 21st century society lies in software.

“We are passionate about youth innovation. We are passionate about youth empowerment through software development. That is the only way to develop the country” she said.

Human capacity building is the bail out option:
Former Executive Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, and Chairman of Open Media, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe said there is no better way to build Nigeria other than human capacity development especially among youths who are future leaders.

Ndukwe who currently chairs Broadband committee warned that if the government fails to pay attention to human capacity building, economic development will remain at low ebb.