Speaking while receiving a delegation from the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education at NITDA’s headquarters in Abuja, Inuwa said Nigeria is in a strong position at a time when many countries are dealing with ageing populations and shrinking workforces.

According to him, this demographic trend creates a major opportunity for Nigeria to supply the skilled talent the world will increasingly need.

He noted that by 2030, global demand for technical and digital skills is expected to far exceed available talent, giving Nigeria a clear chance to become an important source of workforce talent if it invests in education, skills development, and innovation.

According to him, “with the right investments in education and digital skills, Nigeria can transform its demographic advantage into a powerful engine for economic growth and global relevance.”

The NITDA boss stressed that the country has the potential to become a global talent hub and a net exporter of skilled professionals.

Reframing migration narratives, he described Nigerians in the diaspora as valuable national assets who contribute through remittances and knowledge transfer, noting that diaspora inflows remain one of Nigeria’s most stable sources of foreign exchange.

Drawing comparisons with India, Inuwa highlighted how sustained investments in human capital have enabled the Asian nation to produce top executives in leading global technology firms. He attributed this success to a deliberate system of talent development and global placement.

Addressing Nigeria’s out-of-school population, he said equipping millions of underserved individuals with digital skills could unlock vast economic opportunities and help bridge the global talent gap.

Central to this ambition, he said, is NITDA’s National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets achieving 95 per cent digital literacy nationwide by 2030.

The framework focuses on six key areas: device and software operation, information and data literacy, digital content creation, digital marketing, online safety, and problem-solving.

Inuwa further explained that digital skills could transform critical sectors such as agriculture and commerce.

Farmers, he said, can leverage digital tools and smartphones to improve productivity through data-driven decisions, while small-scale traders can expand their reach and boost income using online platforms.

On implementation, he unveiled the “Digital Literacy for All” initiative, which targets students, workers, and participants in the informal sector.

He also disclosed ongoing partnerships with global organisations aimed at training civil servants and strengthening institutional capacity.

The NITDA DG reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to collaborating with the Almajiri Commission to establish digital learning centres, develop training programmes in indigenous languages, and deploy instructors to Almajiri schools across the country.

Earlier, Muhammad Sani Idris, the executive secretary of the commission, commended NITDA’s efforts in promoting digital literacy, describing them as crucial to bridging Nigeria’s education gap.

He expressed concern over the growing number of out-of-school children, noting that the traditional Almajiri system, originally designed for Qur’anic education, has been weakened by years of neglect and socio-economic pressures.

According to him, many children are sent far from home without adequate care, exposing them to exploitation and insecurity.

Idris called for coordinated action among government, communities, and development partners to address the crisis, highlighting the trans-border nature of the Almajiri system and the need for strategic collaboration.

He also expressed optimism about deepening partnerships with NITDA to leverage digital innovation in expanding access to education and creating better opportunities for millions of Nigerian children.

These books, published by the Academic Publishing Centre, University of Lagos (UNILAG), offer an unflinching examination of the complex socio-political landscape of modern-day Nigeria.

These literary publications mark a significant moment for Nigerian literature, as they directly confront the nation’s most pressing challenges, ranging from systemic poverty, insecurity, poor educational standards, mental health struggles, and the yearning for a better life abroad.

Out-of-school Children and Other Stories is a tapestry of human experiences woven through deeply evocative narratives.

The titular story follows an aspiring journalist struggling to publish an article on out-of-school children, which highlights the devastating impact of poverty and insecurity.

Other stories delve into the harsh lives of street beggars from Northern Nigeria in Lagos (“Arewa”); the tough economic realities faced by the youth (“79 Missed Calls”); and the difficult decisions made by mothers grappling with neglect and poverty (“The Fateful Mother”).

The collection boldly tackles subjects often relegated to the shadows, including the trauma of “kitoing” within the LGBTQIA+ community (“Kitoed!”) and the emotional cost of emigration (“The Cost of Flight”).

The accompanying poetry collection, Deathbed and Other Poems, is a masterful dual exploration of mortality and societal decay.

The opening poems on mortality are a “Triptych on Mortality,” featuring speakers grappling with the liminal space between life and death.

The second, more expansive section serves as a direct, lyrical Societal Critique, touching on topics from “Healthcare’s Collapse” and “Tribalism’s Divide” to “Boko Haram’s Terror” and “Police Brutality’s Yoke.”

Speaking about the publications, the literary writer, Oluwatosin Akinrinde, noted that his works reflect the lived experiences of the Nigerian people.

“These two books are not just creative works; they are interventions. In the stories, I wanted to reflect the human cost of Nigeria’s social fractures, ranging from children denied education to women trapped in cycles of neglect and poverty. In the poems, I sought to hold a mirror to our collective struggles, while also insisting that literature must act as a voice of resistance and possibility. I hope that readers find both discomfort and courage in these pages,” he noted.

Dr Moji Shodipe, director of the Academic Publishing Centre, University of Lagos, commended the author’s ambitious work.

“These two collections are a necessary intervention in contemporary Nigerian discourse. Oluwatosin demonstrates a rare courage through tackling the multi-dimensional poverty, insecurity, and social injustices that define our time. The stories and poems serve as a vital, unvarnished record of the Nigerian experience, and these publications serve as a significant event for our literary community,” she said.