The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, has expressed deep regret over the destruction of the Digital Innovation Park in Kano, just days before its official launch.
The facility, which was designed to support Nigeria’s technical talent accelerator program (3MTT), was set on fire and looted during recent protests.
In a statement posted on X, Tijani described his dismay over the incident, which took place on Thursday amid broader unrest in the city.
The yet-to-be-commissioned Nigeria Communication Commission Industrial Park was also targeted by protesters.
“This is a sad development for our Digital Innovation Park in Kano, which was scheduled to launch next week to support our 3MTT program,” Tijani said.
He emphasized the immediate negative impact on planned initiatives, including the buildathon holiday maker program for secondary school students, which was set to commence soon.
Tijani lamented the setback, noting that the destruction of the facility represents a significant loss in terms of both financial investment and the potential to deepen the technology workforce and create job opportunities for youth.
“Millions of Naira have been lost,” Tijani remarked, underscoring the severity of the damage.
