History as Nigeria assembles first Ipad, phone in Calabar

Nigeria made history in Calabar, Cross River State, as some young Nige¬rian ICT trainees assembled and presented the first Ipad device at the Calabar Phone and Ipad Assembling Plant component of the Niger Del¬ta Skill Acquisition Centre.

The feat came to the fore at the graduation of the centre’s first batch of 100 trainees, in which the device was presented to Governor Liyel Imoke by the supervis¬ing minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Darius Ishaku.

Ishaku said the idea of the phone assembling plant was initiated as part of the ICT policy of the ministry, in collaboration with Nigerian ICT Professionals in Diaspora.

“The effort has today cul¬minated in what is referred to as the Niger Delta Skill Acqui¬sition Centre for phone and Ipad assembling plant to em¬power youths in the region.”

“The choice of Calabar for (siting) the plant was not in error. It was deliberate because of its proximity to the Free Trade Zone (FTZ), which will make it possible for the entrepreneurs to ex¬port their finished products outside the country, coupled with the prevailing peace and security, as well as the ambience of the state. We found the best place for this project in Niger Delta, here in Calabar,” he stated.

Details of the apps con¬tent of the Ipad were not immediately available at the time of filing in this report.

Governor Imoke said, “Im¬parting the necessary skill on the youths is imperative, if there must be meaningful development in the country.”

The governor commend¬ed the Niger Delta Affairs ministry for “its effort in implementing aggressive youth empowerment pro¬gramme, of which ICT is a key component.”