By Bilesanmi Abayomi
In a gathering of technology and banking industry stakeholders, Sen. Adetokunbo Abiru, the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, received commendations for his visionary initiative—the SAIL Innovation Lab. The commissioning of the state-of-the-art facility took place in Ikorodu, Lagos on Friday, marking a significant milestone in the promotion of the digital economy in Nigeria.
Among the distinguished voices of praise was Mrs Ola Williams, representing Microsoft Nigeria, who expressed admiration for Sen. Abiru’s laudable project. Williams emphasized that with the establishment of the SAIL Innovation Lab, Nigeria now possesses the potential to drive innovation on a global scale in the coming years. Recognizing the immense youth population in Africa and Nigeria’s status as the third-largest youth population worldwide, Williams highlighted the region’s capacity for technological reinvention and stressed Microsoft’s commitment to investing in Africa.
Also present at the event, Mrs Adora Oshodi-Ikenze, Director (West Africa) of Meta, congratulated Sen. and Mrs Abiru for their remarkable initiative in advancing the digital economy within Lagos State. Oshodi-Ikenze, formerly associated with Facebook when it was still known by that name, affirmed Meta’s longstanding partnership with Nigeria and expressed enthusiasm for the SAIL Innovation Lab’s potential impact.
In his goodwill message, Mr Olukayode Pitan, Managing Director of the Bank of Industry (BoI), pledged the organization’s support in partnering with the SAIL Innovation Lab. Pitan stressed the importance of financing and indicated BoI’s commitment to assisting the youth in securing funding for their digital economy ventures. He painted a future vision where Ikorodu produces several entrepreneurs whose businesses are valued at billions of dollars, calling on the youth to take advantage of the lab’s training and create impactful enterprises.
Pitan further disclosed that the Bank of Industry has already established over 12 hubs across the country as part of its corporate social responsibility, with the aim of having hubs in every state and numerous universities. He expressed appreciation for Sen. Abiru’s efforts and urged him to continue his support for such initiatives, assuring him of BoI’s readiness to collaborate further.