Senator Faduyile AI Empowerment for Ondo South youths closes a real digital opportunity gap -Olatunji, AI trainer

By Steve Ovirih.

Information Technology (IT) has become the main deal and the raw deal backend package to run corporate establishments the world over. It is the pillar of corporate governance and the world leaves behind personnel that lack compliance. An icing on the cake is the new trend of Artificial intelligence (AI) which has become the now most talked about most trendy digital tool for the ease of operations in corporate outfits both within government offices and corporate private business.

Ondo South Senator, Distinguished Senator Prof.Dayo Faduyile,OON, in his insightful approach to empowerment facilitated the training of over 400 Ondo South youths on IT with emphasis on acquisition of knowledge on Artificial intelligence in early October.This among other lofty items of empowerments featured in the index of his hundred days in office.

In this exclusive chat with Olatunji Oguntoye (PhD), a Project Management expert and Executive Director, Prince Olatunji AI School, Abuja, who just anchored the AI training for over 400 Ondo South youths courtesy of the Senator Dayo Faduyile AI training empowerment, the reason all should embrace AI was discussed among other other matters.

Excerpt:

The Polity – Ondo South Senator, Distinguished Senator Prof.Dayo Faduyile, OON has facilitated this AI Empowerment for the youths of his district.

What are the prospects of this training, and what gains are there for Youths of Ondo South?

Olatunji: This training was never meant to be a one-off event. It is a foundation. We have equipped participants with practical, income-generating AI skills, from creating adverts and logos to producing videos, building presentations, and even starting an affiliate business with zero capital. For the youths of Ondo South, this closes a real digital opportunity gap. They now have access to the same tools being used in Lagos, Abuja, and around the world, at no cost to them. The prospect is simple. Every participant who practices what they learned walks away with a skill they can monetize immediately, either through their own business or by promoting someone else’s.

Thepolity: Did you meet your target? What is your assessment of trainees’ performance?

Olatunji : We did not just meet our target, we exceeded it significantly. We planned for 300 participants. Instead, 490 people registered online, over 100 joined the live Zoom sessions on average across both days, and more than 400 watched on YouTube, drawing interest not only from Ondo South but from other senatorial districts in Ondo State and even other states entirely. As for performance, about 75 percent of our participants were complete beginners, and we built the entire curriculum around that reality. Engagement was strong, and because the training was practical and hands on, trainees were not just listening. They were creating real images, videos, and documents during the sessions themselves. For a first exposure to AI tools, the knowledge acquisition was genuinely encouraging.

Thepolity- What were the major challenges during the virtual training?

Olatunji: A few, as one would expect with any large scale virtual program. First, demand outpaced capacity. With 490 registrations against a planned 300, we had to rely on YouTube to accommodate everyone beyond what Zoom could hold. Second, for complete beginners, simply learning to navigate new apps took more time and patience than our live sessions allowed, which is part of why we prepared a separate orientation video ahead of class. And third, as with most virtual training in our environment, internet connectivity and data access remained a real barrier for some participants.

Thepolity- Everyone is talking about AI taking people’s jobs. How correct is this?

Olatunji: I will put it simply: AI is not coming for your job. Someone who knows how to use AI is coming for the job of someone who does not. AI is a tool. It does not replace human judgment, creativity, or relationships. What we demonstrated throughout this training is that AI does not eliminate work, it changes the nature of work. A farmer still farms, but now reaches city buyers directly. A tailor still sews, but now sells an online course as well. The real risk is not AI itself. The real risk is standing still while everyone around you learns to use it because in no distance time, those who have acquired AI skills will become more relevant in the work place than those who never deemed it fit to to acquire it.

Thepolity: What is your advice to trainees, now that Senator Faduyile has empowered them in AI ?

Olatunji: Do not let this be something you watched once and admired. Practice it. Create something this week, however small it may be. Use the 30 days of free mentorship we have made available to ask questions and refine what you have learned. And beyond that, become a multiplier. Teach someone else in your community what you now know. Senator Faduyile has given the youths of Ondo South a real tool. What we do with it now is entirely up to us.