The Federal Government has urged Nigerian students to embrace artificial intelligence, coding, robotics and other digital skills as part of efforts to position the country for the global knowledge economy.

The call was made on Friday during the Renewed Hope Students’ Engagement and Digital Acceleration Programme for the South-East Zone held at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, where selected students received laptop computers to enhance digital learning and innovation.

The event brought together officials of the Federal Government, student leaders, academics, innovators and development partners to discuss youth empowerment, digital transformation and education financing under the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Speaking, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh, represented by the Public Relations Officer of the Projects Development Institute, Dr Ijeoma Eze, said Nigeria must invest heavily in innovation and technology if it hopes to compete globally.

According to the minister, President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to transforming Nigeria into “a globally competitive, innovation-driven and technology-powered economy” through education and digital development programmes.

He listed initiatives including NELFUND, HOPE-EDU, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, NESRI, Universal Basic Education and the Nigerian Learning Passport as part of the government’s education reforms.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that the greatest resource of any nation is not merely its natural endowments but the intelligence, creativity and innovative capacity of its people—especially its youth,” the minister said.

He added that the government had recently launched the third phase of the YouthCred initiative to provide between N200,000 and N2 million in collateral-free loans to 500,000 young entrepreneurs.

Describing the Digital Acceleration Programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future workforce, the minister challenged students to move beyond conventional academic qualifications.

“The future belongs to innovators, creators, problem-solvers and entrepreneurs—not merely certificate holders.

“I therefore challenge every student gathered here today to embrace technology as a tool for national transformation rather than mere entertainment. Learn coding. Master Artificial Intelligence tools. Develop software applications. Build innovative solutions. Acquire cybersecurity skills. Explore robotics. Create digital enterprises. Solve local problems using global technologies,” he said.

He also urged universities, research institutes and industries to strengthen collaboration to commercialise research findings and transform innovation into wealth creation and job opportunities.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students’ Engagement, Comrade Sunday Daya, said the programme was designed to deepen engagement between government and students while equipping young Nigerians with digital skills needed in the evolving global economy.

Daya said the Tinubu administration considers young people central to national development.

“The President firmly believes that Nigeria’s greatest asset is not just its natural resources but also the demography of its youthful population,” he said.

According to him, the programme seeks to strengthen communication between government and student leaders, expose students to digital opportunities and inspire them to become innovators capable of solving societal challenges.

“The future belongs to those who possess the knowledge, skills, and courage to adapt to rapid changes in global best practices,” he said.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that Nigerian students are not mere consumers of technology but creators of solutions, innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders who will drive the digital ecosystem.”

A major highlight of the event was the presentation of laptop computers to selected students as part of efforts to promote digital learning, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed that over 1.7 million students had applied for the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.

He said approximately 1.5 million applications had already been processed.

According to him, NELFUND has disbursed more than N282bn to students across 288 tertiary institutions nationwide.

He broke down the disbursement, saying over N183 billion had been paid directly to tertiary institutions as tuition fees, while nearly N98 billion had been released to students as upkeep allowances.

Sawyerr added that the scheme is expected to expand significantly.

“We have received to date 1.7 million applications, and we’ve disbursed cumulatively to 1.5 million Nigerian students. There’s a lot of students in 24 months. We are delighted, we are happy, but we need more from the Southeast.

“Well, you know, there are different cultures around Nigeria. People have different attitudes to different things. The attitude to loans may be a little bit different, but I think part of it is that people don’t really understand that this loan, number one, is interest-free. Number two, nobody is coming after you for the loan. You know, there’s a bad history of people taking loans in Nigeria, but that’s from the private sector.

“The President has made this loan interest-free, he has said you don’t pay back until you have a job. Even when you get a job, if that job goes—if you lose that job—you stop paying. Your employer who is supposed to make the payment (10% of your salary) stops paying. Nobody who takes this loan will be barred or prevented from going abroad to go and further their education or to even go and work for some time. So, really, this is about upskilling Nigerians with Nigeria’s money.

“And I think in the Southeast, people are very independent. They want to try and see what they can do on their own. But the truth about it is that we have to help our parents. Our parents cannot be the ones standardly burdened all the time. It’s not fair. Sometimes even the parents, they don’t take it, but they are under stress and it’s causing them difficulty,” he explained.

He added, “plans are underway through collaboration between the National Assembly and NELFUND to increase coverage to about seven million beneficiaries by incorporating vocational institutions and skills acquisition centres.”

The NELFUND boss noted that while the programme continues to expand, it remains subject to public scrutiny over issues relating to refunds and institutional fee structures.