EBONYI STATE NEWS

 This building has been abandoned for many years in Ebonyi. Today, I saw a video showing serious work going on to complete it. What the government is doing with this project is highly commendable. I have always wondered why previous administrations never bothered to finish it.

Dear Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, thank you for this one.

Now, my plea. Once it's completed, please don't turn it into government offices. No party office should be found there. And it shouldn't be managed by government. Those who are more interested in 4+4 should completely stay away from it. Let a private firm manage it, while the state keeps ownership. Make it the Ebonyi Tech Hub, with office spaces for rent and a training academy for our youths.

I will show you the numbers to explain why this matters.

Ebonyi reportedly generated N17.18 billion in internally generated revenue in 2025, one of the three lowest in Nigeria, ahead of only Yobe. Enugu, our neighbour, generated N406.77 billion. That’s more than 23 times ours.

Where does a state get most of its own money? From taxing people's income. In 2025, Nigeria's 36 states and the FCT together collected N2.64 trillion from tax on workers' salaries, about 70 per cent of all the tax they raised. That's why Lagos is rich: millions of people there earn good incomes. Ebonyi's total revenue from all its own sources that year was just N17.18 billion. You can't tax poverty. If people earn nothing, there's nothing to collect. The fastest way to raise Ebonyi's revenue is to put high-paying jobs in the hands of Ebonyi youths.

And tech is where those jobs are. According to the World Economic Forum, AI and big data top the list of the world's fastest-growing skills, followed by networks and cybersecurity.

What we should train Ebonyi youths in:

1. AI and machine learning. AI and machine learning specialist roles are projected to grow by 82 per cent by 2030.

2. Data analytics and big data. Big data specialists are projected to grow by 113 per cent, the fastest of any job on the list.

3. Fintech engineering. Projected growth: 93 per cent. Nigeria already leads Africa in fintech.

4. Software development. Projected growth: 57 per cent.

5. Cybersecurity. Demand is rising as threats grow and businesses depend on data.

6. Cloud computing and DevOps. The skills companies need to run everything online.

7. Product design (UI/UX) and digital marketing. The skills that turn software into businesses.

Below is the estimated amount these skills pay:

Nigerian senior developers on remote contracts earn $23–$45 an hour, averaging $32.10. Nigerians working remotely for foreign companies report monthly pay between $2,500 and $5,000, rising to $5,000–$10,000 at senior levels.

These are dollars earned abroad and spent in Ebonyi, without a single foreign company needing to relocate here.

If we train 500 youths a year. Assume only 1 in 5 lands a remote job, at the lowest figure above, $2,500 a month. That's 100 people earning $3 million a year, flowing into Ebonyi's economy. After five cohorts, that's $15 million a year spent in our markets, paid in rent to our landlords, and taxed through the Ebonyi Board of Internal Revenue. Those who don't land remote jobs don't disappear. They build businesses, serve local firms, and train others.

And it’s very important that It’s privately managed.

Government-managed buildings in Nigeria often end up with unpaid bills, political tenants and dying generators. A private operator lives or dies by occupancy and results. Let the state own the building, set clear targets, and let a competent firm run it, measured by how many youths are trained, placed and earning.

This building can be the place where Ebonyi's economic future is written. It shouldn't become another government office. It should be a factory for talent.

I have a detailed model for how this can work: the curriculum, the management structure, the funding, and the revenue projections. If the government is interested, I'm ready to present it AT NO COST.

-KAA

#kaa_truths

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