- Why Ogun governor emerged winner of the prestigious award
…the job portal as one of the initiatives that would take the good people of Ogun State out of unemployment
The soulless politician manifests as a huge libel on human nature but a virtuous leader like Dapo Abiodun manifest as a burnished ornament on his part of the cosmos. His dreams manifest as templates of hope and his deeds resonate a pious will and exalted intelligence.
Moved by his vision, technology-savvy, and untarnished leadership, the Daily Telegraph newspaper has awarded the Ogun State governor as the Governor of the Year in Digital Economy.
For his landmark achievements in the digital technology sector, the Daily Telegraph awarded Governor Abiodun, the best Governor in Digital Economy at the 2021 New Telegraph Awards which took place at the Balmoral Event Center, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, yesterday.
Recall that Abiodun initiated massive projects in Ogun’s technological sector a few months into his administration. To reduce the unemployment rate in the state, Governor Abiodun created the Ogun Job Portal, which aims to tackle the scourge of unemployment by linking the state’s unemployed youths with matching job opportunities in the labour market.
Describing the job portal as one of the initiatives that would take the good people of Ogun State out of unemployment while also bettering the career chances of the employed, Governor Abiodun said that the portal is particularly suited to prepare the people to fit into appropriate sectors while revitalising all the sectors of the state’s economy.
To underscore his seriousness in this regard, one of the earliest appointments Governor Abiodun made was that of Olalekan Olude, an award-winning entrepreneur, co-founder of Jobberman Limited, the leading job site in sub-Saharan Africa, and founding partner of the African Talents Company in South Africa.
Olude is also the co-founder and Executive Director at Rovedana Limited, a business process outsourcing company that provides employment to more than 2000 Nigerians across different industries and specialises in upscaling and placing them into employment with over 100 companies.
The governor also sought to empower information and communications technology-savvy youth in the state by creating the Ogun Tech Hub and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (Stem) Centre.
Located along Kobape Road, Abeokuta Expressway, the Ogun Tech Hub is sited on a vast expanse of land hitherto housing an abandoned school building. It was, however, re-purposed for the tech hub and is now a sight to behold at night and during the day. Inside is a sprawling tableau of ICT experts, trainees, and gadgets.
Governor Abiodun said that the hub was conceptualised to make Ogun “the one-stop-shop for technological innovations across Africa where start-up companies will conveniently be set up. This step is firstly a result of the collaboration of tech enthusiasts and private sector players largely independent of our government.”
Essentially, the Ogun Tech Hub and STEM is a grand step geared towards fostering creativity and achievement of the purpose for technologists, social entrepreneurs, tech companies, impact investors, and even ethical hackers and governments around Ogun State. The Hub will also serve as a knowledge platform where citizens can connect, share, build new skills and competencies to solve local challenges that improve the quality of life of Nigerians.
Telegraph newspapers, in keeping with its commitment to rewarding individuals and businesses in Nigeria that have distinguished themselves by their remarkable contributions to the development of the country in both the public and private space, therefore, unveiled Abiodun as the recipient of its digital technology award for the year, 2021.
There is no gainsaying Governor Abiodun industriously adds page after page, volume after volume of commendable exploits as he leads Ogun State into a more progressive clime and a future ornamented with boundless opportunities.