NCC boss, Danbatta, to deliver FUO’s Convocation Lecture

The management of the Fountain University, Osogbo (FUO), Osun State, has selected the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, to deliver the 10th and 11th Convocation Lecture of the university.

The selection of Danbatta for the lecture is spurred by the vision, objectives and successes of policies, progranmmes and projects instituted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to bridge the digital divide and encourage the youth to harness derivable benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The combined Convocation Lecture, titled: “Empowering the Nigeria Youth through Information and Communication Technology,” will take place on January 13, 2022 at NASFAT Eti-Osa Lecture Theatre in the university. Prominent personalities from government, industry and the academia are expected at the event scheduled at the heart of the week-long convocation ceremony.

Since his appointment in 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari as the EVC/Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Danbatta has worked with the Board, Management and staff of the Commission to sustain and improve on accomplishing the Commission’s mandates and associated vision focused on digital literacy and enhancing the capacity of young people, students, their teachers and institutions to be active players in the evolving digital economy.

The NCC, under the leadership of Prof. Danbatta, has continued to sponsor young innovative Nigerians to participate in ICT-focused competitions both nationally and globally, sponsor tech-startups to develop applications that address specific national concerns in the areas of health and security.

The Commission also works together with the academia to enable concrete linkage in research and development, innovation, technological incubation for national development with particular focus on harnessing the creative energy of the young people in the country, as evident in the annual national essay competition targeting young people who receive prizes annually.

Over the years, Danbatta has delivered high-profile academic and non-academic lectures at different tertiary institutions, national institutes and for professional bodies at the national and international levels, the imports of which have continued to reshape thinking on how best digital infrastructure can be maximally deployed and harnessed for overall development of the nation’s economy.

The Fountain University’s Convocation Lecture provides another opportunity for Danbatta to share his thoughts in this regard by intellectualising the discourse on how the foregoing and future plans of the Commission can help to situate the Nigerian youths to a point where they would play greater role in the emerging competitive global economy, relying on ICT resources.