Whenever I wake up in the morning, one question always comes to my mind: What meaningful contribution can I make to knowledge today? I do not pick up my phone merely for entertainment or idle scrolling. I search for ideas, innovations, and information that can help me contribute to the development of my state and Nigeria. Rather than complaining endlessly about our challenges, I believe in identifying solutions, sharing them, and moving forward.

That is why I was deeply encouraged to see a young innovator from Aba, Abia State, develop a locally made smartphone. Whether this innovation is still at its early stages or ready for wider commercialisation, it represents the kind of creativity and determination Nigeria urgently needs. It demonstrates that our young people possess the talent to compete globally when they are given the right opportunities, mentorship, and enabling environment. I was equally impressed by the decision of the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, to publicly showcase and encourage such innovation. Governments should celebrate inventors, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs because they are the true architects of sustainable economic growth.

Nations such as China, South Korea, India, and Singapore transformed their economies not through politics alone but through investment in education, technology, research, and skills development. Sadly, our political environment sometimes discourages innovation. The pursuit of quick wealth, patronage, and easy money has diverted the attention of many young people from productive enterprise. When society rewards shortcuts more than hard work and creativity, it weakens the culture of innovation. A nation cannot build a prosperous future by consuming what others produce while neglecting its own inventors.

As the management thinker Peter Drucker famously said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Likewise, Nelson Mandela reminded the world that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” These timeless words emphasise that knowledge, skills, and innovation not political slogans are the foundations of national progress. Technology driven by practical skills is the answer to sustainable development. Every smartphone assembled, every software application written, every machine designed, and every local innovation commercialised creates jobs, reduces dependence on imports, strengthens the economy, and restores national confidence.

Nigeria is blessed with millions of talented young people. What they need is quality education, access to finance, reliable infrastructure, research support, and leaders who reward excellence rather than political loyalty. If we nurture innovation instead of celebrating mediocrity, Nigeria can become a leading technology hub in Africa. Our future will not be determined by the volume of our complaints but by the value of our ideas and the courage to transform those ideas into solutions. Every citizen should ask each morning,

“What can I contribute today to make my community, my state, and my country better?”

That simple question has the power to inspire a culture of innovation, responsibility, and national renewal.

Dr. Gidado Abdulkarim Salimon writes from No 1b Halal Street Daudu Islamic Village, Ilorin kwara state.

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