Youths must become job creators not seekers – ADC guber candidate

The Ogun African Democratic Congress, ADC, gubernatorial candidate for the 2027 election, Biodun Collins Ogundipe, has urged unemployed youths in the state to embrace Artificial Intelligence, entrepreneurship and vocational skills.

Ogundipe asserted that the era of totally depending on the government for jobs is  over, insisting that they must become creators of opportunities rather than mere seekers of employment.

He spoke on Friday during the BCO unemployed graduates convergence held in Abeokuta.

The AI expert also accused political office holders of lacking the capacity to use technology for job creation, arguing that they “do not have what it takes” to secure lives, deploy technology, or translate allocations into grassroots development.

“The world of work now demands skills, adaptability and digital competence. AI is no longer the future, it is the present.

“Graduates must become creators of opportunities rather than mere seekers of employment,” he said.

Shifting to governance, Ogundipe accused the ruling APC at both state and federal levels of lacking capacity to secure the state or deploy technology, lamenting that insecurity was shutting down markets, farms and killing a 24-hour economy.

The AI expert said he would secure Ogun in less than 12 months with “intelligence-driven, technology-driven applications,” adding that many leaders rely on expensive consultants for proposals that end up as “what is in it for me” deals.

Speaking earlier, the party’s Public Relations Officer and Chairman Planning Committee of the BCO unemployed graduates convergence, Olumide Onabajo, said the event was designed as a practical intervention.

He noted that opportunities now exist in food processing, renewable energy, fintech, digital marketing, software development and the global freelance economy.

“A graduate in Abeokuta can work remotely for companies in London, Toronto, Dubai, Berlin or New York without leaving Nigeria. The challenge is whether we possess the right skills to seize it,” Onabajo said.

Meanwhile, former Odeda LGA Chairman, Wale Adebayo, echoed the call for self-reliance, urging youths to learn trades like tiling and ICT alongside digital skills.