President Muhammadu Buhari has commended Facebook founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Zuckerberg, for sharing his knowledge with Nigerian youths and inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Buhari made the commendation on Friday, September 2, 2016, when he received Zuckerberg at the State House in Abuja, following the American technology entrepreneur’s three-day visit to Nigeria.
During the meeting, the President described Zuckerberg’s engagements with young Nigerians as timely, particularly as Nigeria was seeking new ways to stimulate economic growth and development through entrepreneurship.
“ Nigeria has always been identified as a country with great potentials for growth, especially with our youthful population, but now we are moving beyond the potentials to reality,” Buhari said.
The President also praised Zuckerberg for his modest lifestyle and willingness to share his knowledge with young people, despite his enormous wealth and global influence.
“I am impressed by your simplicity in sharing your knowledge and wealth with those with less income,” Buhari said.
He noted that Zuckerberg’s humility also offered a contrast to what he described as the culture of ostentatious displays of wealth and impulsive spending that had become common among some Nigerians.
“In our culture, we are not used to seeing successful people appear like you. We are not used to seeing successful people jogging and sweating on the streets.
“We are more used to seeing successful people in air-conditioned places. We are happy you are well-off and simple enough to always share,” the President added.
Zuckerberg Praises Nigerian Youths
Zuckerberg, who had visited technology hubs and interacted with young entrepreneurs during his stay in Nigeria, said he was impressed by the energy, talent and entrepreneurial spirit of the country’s youths.
Reflecting on his visit to the Co-Creation Hub in Yaba, Lagos, he said the level of creativity demonstrated by young Nigerians had particularly impressed him.
“I was highly impressed by the talent of the youths in the Co-Creation Hub in Yaba. I was blown away by their talent and the level of energy that I saw,” Zuckerberg said.
The Facebook co-founder explained that his visit was also aimed at supporting wider access to fast and affordable internet connectivity through Express Wi-Fi, which he said could provide more opportunities for people to establish and grow online businesses.
Zuckerberg’s 2016 visit to Nigeria marked a significant moment in the country’s technology ecosystem, bringing international attention to the growing community of young Nigerian developers, entrepreneurs and innovators.
Source: State House Press Release
0 Comments