Ope Banwo Dr, a seasoned technology entrepreneur and immigration law expert, has called on the Federal Government to adopt what he described as a nationwide digital jobs revolution, arguing that Nigeria cannot overcome its youth unemployment crisis by relying primarily on small-scale business empowerment programmes.
Banwo, founder of Naija Lives Matter (NLM), who has spent years advocating digital entrepreneurship and technology-driven economic development, made the call while reacting to comments credited to First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu encouraging Nigerian youths to embrace micro-businesses, including kuli-kuli and akara production, as avenues for economic empowerment.
While acknowledging that such businesses remain legitimate sources of livelihood for many Nigerians, Banwo argued that government should concentrate on building a modern economy capable of preparing young people for emerging opportunities within the global digital marketplace.
According to him, the country requires policies that focus on technology, innovation and digital entrepreneurship if it hopes to reduce unemployment on a meaningful scale.
“We don’t have only an unemployment crisis. We have an imagination crisis in government,” Banwo said.
He noted that countries around the world are increasingly investing in digital industries that now generate millions of jobs annually.
Using India, China, South Korea and the Philippines as examples, Banwo argued that those countries have successfully positioned their citizens to participate in software development, technology services, cybersecurity and other high-value sectors that attract international earnings.
He lamented that despite Nigeria’s large youthful population, many graduates remain unemployed years after leaving university, forcing them to depend on their parents or survive through informal economic activities.
According to him, government intervention should move beyond empowerment programmes centred on sewing machines, grinding machines and petty trading to initiatives capable of producing globally competitive professionals.
Banwo proposed the establishment of Digital Skills Academies across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to provide training in software engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, prompt engineering, digital marketing, virtual assistance, content creation and e-commerce.
He also recommended that Innovation Hubs be established across federal constituencies to encourage technology startups and entrepreneurship among young Nigerians.
As part of broader reforms, Banwo urged authorities to restructure the National Youth Service Corps programme by integrating compulsory digital skills development throughout the service year.
He recalled that he had previously offered to organise free digital skills training for corps members, with only venues and participants required from the scheme, but said the proposal received no official response.
According to him, the country’s economic future depends on preparing young Nigerians to compete globally rather than limiting them to local survival businesses.
Banwo maintained that many digital careers require only a laptop, stable internet connection and quality training, making them more scalable than traditional micro-enterprises.
He insisted that public office holders should begin measuring success by the number of startups created, patents registered, software developed and digital services exported instead of the number of petty traders empowered.
While reiterating that there is dignity in every legitimate occupation, Banwo argued that Nigeria requires transformational policies capable of unlocking innovation and attracting global opportunities for millions of unemployed youths.
He said sustainable economic growth would depend on how effectively government invests in digital capacity development and prepares the next generation for the realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
