Nigerians are Talented - Mark Zuckerberg

Co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of social
networking website, Facebook, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg
has said that Nigerians were highly gifted in the
Information Communications Technologies, ICT.
Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg visits President
Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Villa on Friday, September 2,
2016.
He said this after meeting with President Muhammadu
Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The computer guru said he was impressed by the
interest, energy and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by
young Nigerians in all the ICT camps that he had visited
in Lagos.
“I was highly impressed by the talent of the youths in
the Co-creation Hub in Yaba. I was blown away by their
talent and the level of energy that I saw,” he said.
Recall that Zukerberg was in Nigeria earlier in the week
but left Lagos for Kenya amidst speculations that there
were no government officials to speak with him.
But on Friday, he returned to Nigeria and met with
Buhari in a meeting also attended by numerous
ministers including Adebayo Shittu, Ogbonnaya Onu,
Okechukwu Enalemah and Lai
Mohammed who are respective Ministers of
Communications, Science and Technology, Trade and
Investments and Information and Culture.
The president commended Zukerberg for sharing his
technological ideas with the Nigerian youths, saying
such was mostly needed at the time.
He said: “Nigeria has always been identified as a
country with great potentials for growth, especially with
our youthful population, but now we are moving beyond
the potentials to reality.
“I am impressed by your simplicity in sharing your
knowledge and wealth with those with less income.”
The President who noted that simplicity of the rich
American entrepreneur said that such was alien to
Nigerian culture.
“In our culture, we are not used to seeing successful
people appear like you. We are not used to seeing
successful people jogging and sweating on the streets.
“We are more used to seeing successful people in air-
conditioned places. We are happy you are well-off and
simple enough to always share”, he said.
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg, who was dressed in black suit
and neck tie also attended Aso Villa Demo Day, a
programme organized to pick winners of innovative
ideas in start-up businesses organized at the old
Banquet Hall of the presidential villa.
He later said he was in Nigeria primarily to promote the
penetration of “fast and cheap” internet connectivity,
Express-wifi, that would help people create online
businesses and reduce poverty.
He said: “It’s so inspiring to see what you have built
here. This trip has really blown me away by the talents
of young entrepreneurs and developers in this country,
and making a difference and making a change.
“It reminds me of when I wanted to start Facebook. I
wasn’t starting a company at the time but wanted to
build something to see if it would work.
“And that is what I see people here do, pushing through
challenges, building things that you want to see in the
world.
“If it will help the company great, if it will help the
country great. You are not just going to shape Nigeria
and the whole of Africa but also the whole world.
“So, what I will say to the winners today and all the
people that participated is that I’m blown away by what
you are doing. I believe in you and I look forward to
seeing what you do and congratulations.”
Speaking also, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said that
Zukerberg’s coming to Nigeria has inspired people.
“It is really exciting to have Mark Zugerberg with us. I
think one of the great things you have demonstrated is
that it is possible to live your dream, it is possible to
make your dreams not just come true but come true so
fabulously that it will not only influence your
environment but you will influence the whole world.
“One of the things you have done is really to create
connectivity across the world so that people are really
able to interact across tribe, race, countries and feel as
part of one family and one faith. So I