The Federal Government has equipped 70 digital media managers with tablets to strengthen grassroots outreach for vocational, entrepreneurship and digital empowerment programmes.
The Federal Government has equipped 70 digital media managers with tablets as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots communication and public awareness of its vocational, entrepreneurship and digital empowerment programmes.
The initiative was unveiled in Abuja on Thursday by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE).
The tablets were presented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr. Abiola Arogundade, during a media information and empowerment meeting with digital media managers.
According to the initiative, the engagement was designed to provide media practitioners with firsthand information on Federal Government programmes, particularly those under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), and strengthen their ability to connect potential beneficiaries with available opportunities.
Arogundade said the decision to empower digital media personnel was deliberate because of their role in taking information about government interventions to communities, young Nigerians, entrepreneurs and other potential beneficiaries.
“The empowerment of media personnel is deliberate because you play a critical role in ensuring that government programmes reach communities, young Nigerians, entrepreneurs and other potential beneficiaries,” she said.
She stressed the importance of taking information about government interventions beyond Abuja and into communities across the country, noting that many potential beneficiaries might remain unaware of available programmes without effective grassroots communication.
Arogundade also highlighted the importance of digital devices to young Nigerians, artisans, trained professionals and small entrepreneurs seeking to participate in the digital economy.
She said the Federal Government was taking digital devices and skills training to states across the country to expand access to vocational and digital economic opportunities.
The presidential aide urged the 70 beneficiaries to use the tablets productively, particularly to disseminate information about government programmes and connect Nigerians with opportunities for which they may be eligible.
“We cannot keep empowering technical people and forget the media. You are the people helping us pass this message to the world. That is why you are here,” she said.
Arogundade said her office would subsequently engage print and broadcast media practitioners to ensure that other segments of the media ecosystem were incorporated into the grassroots outreach strategy.
She also called for robust media coverage of the forthcoming Oyo State phase of the NPRGS, scheduled for September 28 to October 9, 2026.
The Oyo programme will provide vocational training to 200 youths in Graphics/Artificial Intelligence, Makeup and Fashion Designing, with beneficiaries receiving relevant training and start-up tools. The Federal Government has also announced plans to distribute 500 tablets during the programme’s October 9 grand finale.
The initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s wider rollout of the NPRGS, which is being expanded to states across the country with a focus on vocational skills, digital tools, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
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