Two tertiary institutions in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, have commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) for their efforts to expand ICT access and digital training across Nigerian campuses.
The two bodies were singled out for commendation by the University of Ilesa and the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igbo-Ora, for the training provided to both academic and non-academic staff of Nigerian tertiary institutions in ICT and digital skills acquisition.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilesa, Professor Olufemi Asaolu, and the Rector of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igbo-Ora, Professor Akinola Akinlabi, made the commendation during the closing ceremony of the 2025 Advanced Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADEPTI) held in the state.
The training, sponsored by the NCC and organised by DBI at the respective institutions, was aimed at strengthening the ICT capacity of the schools.
Their commendations followed a call by the ADEPTI Centre Coordinator, Mr Ezekiel Fagbemi, urging all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to adopt social media and leverage it for academic learning, training, and education.
Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the University of Ilesa, Professor Asaolu expressed the management’s gratitude to the NCC and DBI for “deeming the university worthy of the programme.”
According to him, “The expertise of the resource persons significantly enhanced the participants’ digital skills and inspired innovative approaches to technology integration.”
While advocating for additional training opportunities, the Vice-Chancellor encouraged all participants to engage actively and maximise the benefits of the training.
He remarked, “I extend my gratitude to the DBI team, led by Mr Ezekiel Fagbemi, and the organisers for their dedication.
“Together, we are building a digitally empowered academic community capable of meeting 21st-century challenges.
“We look forward to exploring further areas of collaboration, partnership, and innovative technology, as advised by the Centre Coordinator, Mr Fagbemi,” he said.
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Also speaking, the Rector of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Professor Akinlabi, acknowledged the training’s impact, noting that “The management of Oyo State College has written to the NCC and DBI to commend the initiative for improving digital education in Nigeria through ADEPTI.”
He expressed the school’s gratitude to the NCC and DBI for selecting the college for the empowerment training.
The letter stated, “Like Oliver Twist, we are seizing this opportunity to request additional laptops and desktops.
“The 100 devices previously provided are grossly inadequate, given JAMB’s requirement that our ICT centre must have at least 250 laptops/desktops to retain accreditation for students taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).”
The Centre Coordinator, Mr Ezekiel Fagbemi, who is also the Head of Public Affairs at DBI, commended the participants and management for their attitude, engagement, and commitment throughout the training.
He urged tertiary institutions nationwide to adopt new innovations and technologies, particularly social media, in academic, skills-acquisition training, learning, and general education.
Mr Fagbemi also called for increased academic research in the field to advance digital learning, training, and education.