The Senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu has raised alarm over the growing trend of cybercrime among the Nigerian youths.
He however blamed the trend on societal shift toward instant gratification and a weakening educational culture.
Salisu made the remarks during a day 2 of workshop on capacity-building and empowerment session for traditional rulers held in Abeokuta.
“This country is at risk if we don’t reverse the dangerous trend we are seeing among our youths.
“Too many young people now go to uncles and aunties not to seek help with school fees, but to buy phones or laptops for cybercrime.
“We must change that mindset. Education remains the greatest form of empowerment”, he said
He therefore emphasised the need for a complete overhaul of the school curriculum to include skills relevant to the digital age such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital literacy, warning that such curriculum reforms would be futile without urgent investment in teacher training.
“The curriculum must evolve to meet global realities, but we also need to equip our teachers to deliver it. Many of them are not keeping pace with the changes,” he noted.
Part of the communique issued at the end of the workshop urged all stakeholders, parents, NGOs, community leaders, and students to commit to a collective agenda to stem the tide of out-of-school children in the state.