By Sunday Lawan, Lafia
In an effort to empower women in Nasarawa state, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has donated 100 laptops to the state government with a plan to train and empower them to setup ICT businesses. 
Nasarawa State governor, Engr Abdullahi Sule disclosed this on Thursday while declaring open a 3-month computer training and supply of laptops on loan to civil/public servants in the state.
According to the governor, based on the significance he placed on Information Communication Technology (ICT) he made several trips to the agency in Abuja, with the state now benefitting from the programmes being ran by NITDA.
 Sule said NITDA is coming to the state next month to embark on a training programme for women, with the beneficiaries also to be given financial resources to set up businesses so that they can become employers of labour.

“They are going to come along with additional laptops that is mainly for women, so that they can empower women, to give them not only the laptops but also some financial resources, so they can use the resources to buy additional items that will help them to be able to set up their own business centres and become employers of labour by themselves,” the governor stated.
Governor Sule noted that many government operations are not being conducted through online interactions with government functionaries on one hand and members of the public on the other.

He disclosed further that his administration has commenced the rehabilitation and furnishing of the existing structure of information technology centre as a pilot project, with arrangements concluded for the construction of technology innovation hubs in Lafia, Akwanga, Keffi and Karu local government areas.
The governor added that his administration is determined to give civil servants the necessary training to make them compliant with new techniques in executing government responsibilities in the state, which he said, will reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, as well as waste of time in the discharge of government business.
He emphasized that the training programmed will be conducted across all the three senatorial zones of the state, with both teachers and staffs of local government areas to be included in the training.  “Let me therefore, reiterate that this administration actually places high premium on training and retraining of our workforce in our commitment to inject ICT in the state public service for effective service delivery,” the governor said.
He commended Brightland Computer Technologies, for initiating the programme, charging civil servants in the state to enrol into the programme towards ensuring they acquire personal laptops as the first step to ensure that all civil servants are compliant with modern trend of digital literacy. 
Engineer Sule further urged the initiators of the event to extend similar gesture to all and sundry so that the entire state will be computer literate.
Speaking also, Mr. Adeola Adedayo, Technical Manager, Brightland Computer Technologies, said his firm is happy to partner with the Nasarawa State government towards ensuring that its workforce are imparted with ICT knowledge, which is an important factor globally.
Adedayo commended the effort of the governor to ensure that workers in the state are digitally literate, which according to him, is an important step towards achieving e-governance.
Earlier, the state Head of the Civil Service, Abari Nicholas Aboki, disclosed that the programme will comprise theory and practical sessions and it’s being organized in such a way that government activities would not be interrupted.