Several
technological advances have always tried the minds of men. But one thing is for
sure, technology has usually been there to help us in our everyday situations.
Just think of how you could get food to stay fresh without a fridge? In fact,
technology has given us the power to support our rapidly-growing needs in order
to survive.
Still not
convinced? Let me give you some examples of how technology supports our lives
everyday:
Work: These
days, who would not want to see a computer in the office? Other fields, such as
construction, require the use of bulldozers and other equipment to help build
the skyscrapers we see today. Several robots have been designed to help with
rescue missions. In truth, the wonders of technology will continue to support
our business activities.
Medical
purposes: Medical science is a field that really benefits from technology. It
's easier to diagnose diseases with the help of machines, such as CT scans. It
is also possible now to help people live with a failing heart pacemaker connected
to the body.
At home:
Surely, appliances are marvels of technology. You would not want to be wasting
time hand washing clothes when you have the machine to do it. Moreover, who
would not want to sit in a hot room when a fan or an air conditioner is capable
of cooling?
Entertainment:
Almost every household owns a television or a radio now. They offer us
entertainment in our homes while we relax. Also, there are many computer games
console out there. Think of the fun and enjoyment you could have with these
machines. Not only do we enjoy yourself, but it could also become a time to
bond with your friends and families.
Communication:
There are several ways to communicate with our friends and family today. By
phone at our state-of-the-art for video cell phones, the technology is always
there to help us be in touch with our loved ones. Even the deaf can hear with
the headphones. Technology has opened its way through our hearts, allowing us
to communicate with people who treasure.
Technology
has always been a gift to our lives. All we need is to learn to appreciate it.
This has made the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, to
continue to use technology as a means of economic empowerment and good
governance, as he recently inaugurated a $50 million RLG-Adulawo Technology
City, an Information, Communication Technology (ICT) factory in Ilesa.
The ICT
factory, a public-private partnership between the State of Osun government is
designed to assemble a minimum of 5,000 mobile phones, 2,500 laptops and a
sizable number of Plasma TVs per day, making a minimum of 7,500 devices in a
day.
It features
a training centre, research & development (R & D) lab, as well as a
Green Technology – Biogas Plant that will provide cooking gas for the staff
quarter and also a capacity to generate 3KVA electricity, which can be used for
lighting.
The first
set of employees are the beneficiaries of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme
Technology (OYESTECH), a programme set up by the government to equip young
people in ICT skills.
In his
address at the inauguration, Ogbeni Aregbesola said the project, which is in
partnership with the state government, is a result of the innovation of the
present administration to boost the economy of the state through technology.
He said the
investment of the state in the project is the training of 20,000 youths, which
have been done in batches of 5,000 on ICT and the procurement of the land on
which the factory is built, as well as the provision of a transformer for the
factory.
Ogbeni
Aregbesola said ICT is no longer a venture for the future, but a thing of the
present, adding that the world has been changed from what it used to be as a
result of technology. He urged people to take advantage of the factory.
The governor
commended RLG for its decision to invest in the state and help create jobs,
stressing that City was also a demonstration of the government's resolve to
partner the private sector through the creation of an enabling environment and
provide adequate infrastructure for rapid industrialisation and job creation.
He said:
“Our philosophy is that political power is not obtained for its sake, but to be
used in the service of the people. At the inauguration of our administration,
we set many objectives for ourselves. Two key ones among these are the need to
create jobs for our teeming youths and making Osun the hub of ICT in Nigeria.
It was a tall order and it looked impossible then. The opening of this complex,
however, is an indication that we are on the right path.”
Ogbeni
Aregbesola further said: "This project means growth; it means development;
it means prosperity; it means joy and happiness. It means fulfilment to a large
segment of our people.
We proposed
a training offer to RLG and they found it irresistible. That was what first of
all cemented our relationship and from there we are here (Technology City).
"Our
investment is innovation; we used our training needs to bring in this
investment. We bought the land that this property is built on and supported
this investment with a 500KVA transformer, among others. So they are training
our people for us, who they will employ".
The
governor, urged other investors to come on board and make socio-economic
transformation a priority.
The Group
Chairman of RLG, Mr Roland Agambire, said the intention of the company was to
sow a seed, so that Nigerians would know that the company had come to stay and
not just to make money and leave, noting that RLG a dream that would take
Africa out of poverty, as the facility was a sure way to create jobs.
He noted
that gone were the days when oil was the mainstay of the world economy, adding
that ICT was the new money spinner and RLG/Adulawo Technology City was an
ambitious project that would play a major role in the technological revolution
that was sure to come to Nigeria.
Agambiire
said the dream of setting up such a facility was propelled by the leadership
and vision of Governor whom he said supported the idea from the outset,
especially because it had as its main goal, the creation of jobs and transfer
of technology.
He said
although Africa is the wealthiest continent, it has not been able to maximise
its potential.
“RLG, as a
pan-African company, has the dream of creating wealth for African youths and
leading them out of poverty through technology,” he said.
Agambire
noted that the company's initial investment of $50 million was an expression of
its commitment to the vision, adding that it would spend more because there was
the need to expand into fabrication, which would enable the facility handle
more complicated electronic devices.
He said so
far, 5,000 indigenes have been trained at the RLG's facility in Ghana, but that
the remaining 15,000 indigenes will be trained and equipped at the new
Technology City.
While
calling on everyone to see the RLG brand as Nigerian “because its products will
be made here”, he urged all to patronise the company's products, which include
phones and computers, to create jobs and wealth for Nigerians”.
The Country
Director, RLG Nigeria, Mr Tosin Ilesanmi, appreciated the cooperation and
support of Ogbeni Aregbesola and the indigenes in making the factory a reality,
saying the company would reduce unemployment problems in the state and country.
Owa Obokun
of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, thanked God for giving the state of Osun
a man like Aregbesola.
He
identified technology, apart from education, as the major solution to the
problems facing Africa and appealed to the company management to ensure its
sustenance and continuity, so that it would achieve the desired result.
Prince Ade
Adefioye and Mr Bambo Bashorun, the OYESTECH Chairman and OYESTECH
Director,said the aim of the company is to challenge Nigerians, adding that the
aim of the government is to make the state better than Lagos in terms of job
opportunities, economy and others.
They
stressed that through the inauguration of the factory, the Aregbesola
administration has fulfilled its campaign promises to banish hunger, poverty
and unemployment, noting that the Adulawo Technology City is one out of the
several companies that will be established in the state.
Present at
the event were the Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, the defunct Actio
Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in the last Ondo State
election, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), the state deputy governor, Otunba (Mrs)
Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega
Oyetola, All Progressives Congress (APC) executives in the state, among others.
An indigene
who preferred anonymity, said: With these achievements, one is sure that the
electoraate in the State of Osun will vote for Ogbeni Aregbesola on August 9,
2014”.
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