Senator Natasha empowers 250 Kogi youths with drone technology

Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has successfully trained and empowered 250 youths from her constituency with in-demand digital and technical skills aimed at promoting self-reliance and bridging the technology and skills gap.

The training and empowerment programme covered key areas including drone security and environmental sustainability/remediation initiatives for 80 beneficiaries, advanced welding and fabrication techniques for 50 beneficiaries, renewable energy installation for another 50, and data analytics and digital transformation for 70 beneficiaries. This brings the total number of empowered youths to 250.

The trainings, which were held at her residence in Kogi Central, were designed to equip participants and educational institutions with employable skills and modern tools to support sustainable learning and livelihood.

Speaking during the event, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan described the initiative as a set of strategic human capacity development programmes structured to close the widening gap in access to technology and relevant skills. She stated, “Our people deserve to be empowered with the very best of technology for self-reliance.”

The senator explained that her decision to deploy drone technology was inspired by countries like South Africa, Egypt, Malawi, and Ethiopia, which have successfully adopted drone innovations to drive sectors such as mining, agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring.

She said, “Drone technology is the new frontier of socio-economic development not only in Africa but globally. Furthermore, by freely distributing 80 drones to individuals and learning institutions, we are setting a standard for Nigeria as a leader in innovative capacity-building technologies.”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan emphasized that while drone technology remains relatively new in Nigeria, it holds vast potential for both security and entrepreneurship. Though traditionally associated with photography and videography, she highlighted broader applications in construction, oil and gas, agriculture, delivery services, environmental monitoring, geographic mapping, telecommunications, and more.

As part of the empowerment initiative, she extended the programme to educational institutions by inviting departments of Geology and Environmental Science from ten tertiary institutions nationwide to benefit from the drone technology intervention. The benefiting institutions are the Federal College of Education, Okene; Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara; Kogi State University, Anyigba; Federal University, Lokoja; Federal Polytechnic, Idah; Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja; University of Ilorin; Bayero University, Kano; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; and the Federal University of Science and Technology, Minna.

According to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, the goal is to equip educational institutions with modern tools that will enhance students’ learning experiences and provide hands-on training in emerging technologies.

She further clarified that the DJI Neo drones distributed were in full compliance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority regulations, as they fall under the sub-250g category.

This empowerment initiative comes just days after the senator flagged off the construction of two smart markets in Kogi Central with a combined capacity of 160 shops.

She also distributed 700 computers to students of Abdul-Azeez Attah Memorial College, Okene (AAAMCO), reinforcing her focus on technology-driven development.

Senator Natasha reiterated her commitment to continually empower her constituents with modern technologies and innovation-driven opportunities, stressing that “they deserve the best.”

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