Co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of social
networking website, Facebook, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg has said that Nigerians
were highly gifted in the Information Communications Technologies, ICT.
He said this after meeting with President
The computer guru said he was impressed by the interest,
energy and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by young Nigerians in all the ICT
camps that he had visited in Lagos. “I was highly impressed by the talent of
the youths in the Co-creation Hub in Yaba.
I was blown away by
their talent and the level of energy that I saw,” he said. Recall that
Zukerberg was in Nigeria earlier in the week but left Lagos for Kenya amidst
speculations that there were no government officials to speak with him. But on
Friday, he returned to Nigeria and met with Buhari in a meeting also attended
by numerous ministers including Adebayo Shittu, Ogbonnaya Onu, Okechukwu
Enalemah and Lai Mohammed who are respective Ministers of Communications,
Science and Technology, Trade and Investments and Information and Culture.
The president commended Zukerberg for sharing his
technological ideas with the Nigerian youths, saying such was mostly needed at
the time. He said: “Nigeria has always been identified as a country with great
potentials for growth, especially with our youthful population, but now we are
moving beyond the potentials to reality. “I am impressed by your simplicity in
sharing your knowledge and wealth with those with less income.”
The President who noted that simplicity of the rich American
entrepreneur said that such was alien to Nigerian culture. “In our culture, we
are not used to seeing successful people appear like you. We are not used to
seeing successful people jogging and sweating on the streets. “We are more used
to seeing successful people in air-conditioned places. We are happy you are
well-off and simple enough to always share”, he said. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg,
who was dressed in black suit and neck tie also attended Aso Villa Demo Day, a
programme organized to pick winners of innovative ideas in start-up businesses
organized at the old Banquet Hall of the presidential villa.
He later said he was
in Nigeria primarily to promote the penetration of “fast and cheap” internet connectivity,
Express-wifi that would help people create online businesses and reduce
poverty. He said: “It’s so inspiring to see what you have built here. This trip
has really blown me away by the talents of young entrepreneurs and developers
in this country, and making a difference and making a change. “It reminds me of
when I wanted to start Facebook.
I wasn’t starting a
company at the time but wanted to build something to see if it would work. “And
that is what I see people here do, pushing through challenges, building things
that you want to see in the world. “If it will help the company great, if it
will help the country great. You are not just going to shape Nigeria and the
whole of Africa but also the whole world. “So, what I will say to the winners today
and all the people that participated is that I’m blown away by what you are
doing.
I believe in you and I look forward to seeing what you do
and congratulations.” Speaking also, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said that
Zukerberg’s coming to Nigeria has inspired people. “It is really exciting to
have Mark Zugerberg with us. I think one of the great things you have
demonstrated is that it is possible to live your dream, it is possible to make
your dreams not just come true but come true so fabulously that it will not
only influence your environment but you will influence the whole world.
“One of the things you have done is really to create
connectivity across the world so that people are really able to interact across
tribe, race, countries and feel as part of one family and one faith. So I think
that is one of great things that you have done. “And your coming to Nigeria has
been especially energizing not just for the young people but for everyone else.
As you can see I am on Facebook and the president is also on Facebook so we are
one of the 17 million. He commended the 30 persons who made the shortlist of
the Aso Villa Demo Day and the three eventual winners who went home with
various sums of money. “This is the first Aso Villa Day but the next year will
be bigger and better.
I don’t know if we will be able to get Mark to show up for
that but somehow we are going to keep him in the loop and let him know what we
are up to and how and how progress we are making. “This country is going to
build and is being built on the energy and the innovation and on the creativity
of the young people. Whenever young people say that they want to be included, I
believe very strongly that today you are included and no one has a choice in
that matter. Today, Technology has created a level playing field, technology
has made it possible for you seated somewhere, in your office or living room to
create wealth, to create connectivity, to create all manner of things across
the world.
“So this is not like when I was 25 years. It is a completely
new day and I think that there is so much hope, so much your generation are
going to do and I am certainly looking forward to being a part of that. By the
time I am 80 I hope that I will be in a position to have an app that will
enable me follow what you guys are doing, seated somewhere in my village,
enjoying life. “I’m sure you are going to have a great future and I certainly
look forward to working with as part of the government of Nigeria to ensure
that all that your talents and abilities are put in e best possible use and we
I’ll support you all the way.
“We are also looking forward to cooperating with Facebook,
I’m sure that in the next couple of months we will be working out the ways we
can cooperate especially with connectivity and some of the great ideas that
Mark has to improving connectivity in Africa”, he said
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