SAGE Nexus Hub founder, Onowode Tobore Derick, has restated his commitment to equipping young people across Bayelsa State with digital and innovation skills, insisting that technology is “the now big thing” and young creatives must seize the opportunities it offers.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Bayelsa Creatives Converse (BCC) 2.0, held at the Banquet Hall in Yenagoa, Tobore announced the progress of the ongoing TechForward Bayelsa programme, an initiative aimed at training 500 young people in digital skills by the end of 2026.
He said the first cohort of 50 participants had successfully completed their training, with another 50 set to resume in January 2026.
The programme, he noted, covers artificial intelligence, digital marketing, software engineering, graphic design and a range of emerging tech skills.
Tobore explained that the training sits at the heart of SAGE Nexus Hub’s wider mission of nurturing the next generation of innovators. The Yenagoa-based hub provides co-working spaces, facility rentals and hands-on technology training for young creators and professionals.
Turning to the focus of his presentation, Tobore noted the transformative power of artificial intelligence.
According to him, many young people still view AI simply as a tool for answering questions or completing academic tasks, even though its potential goes far beyond that.
“I want to talk to us about AI. Many of us hear about it every day and think it’s just about asking questions with ChatGPT. AI can help you design, automate tasks, analyse data and scale your ideas. Most people use AI like Google, but there is so much more it can do,” he said.
To illustrate this, he recalled spending eight years developing a solution for Niger Delta University (NDU), yet with modern AI tools, he was able to rebuild a better version of the system in just two months.
“If you apply for a job and take months to build a solution while someone else uses AI to deliver theirs in two weeks, who do you think will be hired?” he asked, stressing that AI has become crucial for speeding up work and boosting productivity.
Tobore added that AI is useful across professions. “A tailor can ask AI for 20 design ideas and get them in seconds. A food vendor can generate menus, pricing and instant adverts. I use AI to produce social media content and it performs very well,” he said.
With technology reshaping industries across the world, he urged young people in Bayelsa not to fall behind.
“Tech is not the next big thing, it is the now big thing, and you can learn it. AI is bigger than you think, and it’s where the money is,” he said.
Tobore also disclosed two tech products currently deployed by his companies, TripLi, a ride-hailing platform, and TripChow, a food-ordering app enabling customers to order meals from restaurants across the state.
He said his long-term ambition is to build “the next generation of tech geniuses in Bayelsa,” and revealed his willingness to collaborate with organisations and individuals to expand access to digital training.
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