By Becky Momodu
An Abuja-based lawyer and human rights activist, Comrade Embassy-Oseni Momodu, has urged Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo to transform the reported appointment of about 4,800 Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs) into a technology-driven youth empowerment programme.
Momodu, who described himself as a friend of the governor and a strategic stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, said the state should move beyond conventional political appointments and invest in skills, entrepreneurship and opportunities capable of making young people economically independent.
In a policy advocacy piece titled, “Re: 4,800 SSAs, 25 SAs Appointments: Okpebholo Should Build Edo’s Silicon Valley, Not Another Recycled Patronage Network,” Momodu challenged the government to consider whether the reported appointees could become entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
According to him, the development provides an opportunity to ask: “What if they became 4,800 entrepreneurs?”
Momodu proposed the establishment of an Edo Silicon Technology and Innovation Valley (ESTIV), anchored in Benin City and connected to innovation centres across the three senatorial districts.
He said the proposed initiative should focus on software engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, cloud computing, robotics, fintech, digital agriculture, e-commerce, digital marketing, renewable energy technology and other areas of the digital economy.
The lawyer stressed that training alone would not be enough, urging the government to adopt a comprehensive empowerment process of “Train, Incubate, Mentor, Finance, Connect and Commercialise.”
He also called for the provision of computers, broadband internet, innovation hubs, mentorship, seed funding and access to investors and international markets.
“Edo State needs a young Edo indigene who can develop software for a company in London, provide cybersecurity services to a business in Lagos, design digital products for an American client in the US. or build an agricultural technology platform for African farmers,” he said.
Momodu urged Governor Okpebholo to study the technology and entrepreneurship initiatives of Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, particularly the Solution Innovation District (SID).
He said Edo could adapt the Anambra model by creating an ecosystem that brings together young innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, technology companies and government.
“Regardless of political differences, Governor Okpebholo can build an ‘Edo Silicon Valley’ as well,” he said.
The activist also proposed an eight-year Edo Digital Economy and Innovation Master Plan (EDEIMP-2033), to be developed by technology entrepreneurs, academics, investors, ICT professionals and young innovators.
According to him, the plan should establish measurable targets for youth training, startup incubation, job creation, private investment and digital exports.
Momodu said the success of the initiative should ultimately be measured by how many Edo youths become technology entrepreneurs, software developers, cybersecurity experts, robotics engineers and globally competitive professionals.
“From 4,800 political aides to 4,800 digital entrepreneurs,” he said, could become the defining transformation of the current debate.