Governor Seyi Makinde says Nigeria must ditch over-reliance on crude oil and embrace education, entrepreneurship, and technology to secure lasting prosperity.

Speaking at the commissioning of an IT Community Centre donated to Oladipo Alayande School of Science, Ibadan, by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, Makinde emphasized the urgency of future-proofing the nation.

“Natural resources alone cannot bring economic prosperity,” he said. “There must be entrepreneurship and education… Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence are the roads to the future.”

He praised Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for the quality centre, promising the state would “take full advantage” of it.

Oluremi Tinubu added that the initiative aims to empower communities, especially women. “Positions will come and go, but they will ask you what you’ve done for your people,” she said.

“This centre is the third; ten more are on the way,” she noted, reiterating that the programme is “not political” but “people-centred.”

The centre, named after former Minister of Industry Onikepo Akande, is expected to boost digital literacy and opportunity in Oyo State.