First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu has delivered a powerful message to Nigerian women, encouraging them to embrace modest beginnings while acquiring essential digital skills to build stronger economic futures. She made these remarks during the closing ceremony of the 2025 Women ICT Training and Empowerment Programme held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Power of Small Beginnings
Speaking passionately to participants, Tinubu emphasized that transformative success often emerges from small, consistent steps. She drew from her personal experience, noting that many of her long-standing initiatives in girl-child education and alternative schooling models began modestly but grew significantly through unwavering consistency and conviction.
"Perseverance turns ideas into institutions," the First Lady declared, pointing to the steady expansion of the ICT training scheme since its inception as evidence of Nigeria's growing commitment to preparing women for a technology-driven future.
Building a Digital Nigeria
The training program, organized by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), represents a crucial component of the nation's digital inclusion strategy. Tinubu reaffirmed her commitment to this cause, stating that women would play an increasingly decisive role in shaping Nigeria's technological and economic trajectory.
According to the First Lady, the NITDA-RHI partnership falls under RHI's Economic Empowerment pillar and aligns perfectly with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes economic diversification through industrialization and digitalization.
Comprehensive Skills Development
Earlier in the ceremony, NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi praised the First Lady for her leadership and support in advancing digital empowerment for women. He detailed the comprehensive nature of the training program, revealing that participants had acquired foundational digital skills including:
- Device and software utilization
- Data literacy and analysis
- Content creation and digital marketing
- Online safety protocols
- Problem-solving techniques
- Insight into the gig economy
The expansion of ICT training to women nationwide is helping build what Tinubu described as "a digital future where more women and girls can thrive, innovate and lead." This initiative represents a significant step toward bridging the digital gender gap and creating equal opportunities for women in Nigeria's rapidly evolving technological landscape.
The event concluded with a strong sense of optimism about the role women will play in driving Nigeria's digital transformation, with the First Lady's message resonating deeply among participants and stakeholders alike.
