Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has charged students, youths and owners of small and medium scale businesses in the state to take advantage of technology and leverage on the many opportunities that abound in social media.
He urged them to capitalized on such opportunities to develop their skills and grow their businesses amid the disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Governor Obaseki made this call on the occasion of the commemoration of the 2020 World Social Media Day, which is marked by Mashable, a global, multi-platform media and entertainment platform, and other tech giants.
According to the governor, “Social media has become a crucial part of how we interact with our friends, families, business communities and even run our government, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hence, there is need for careful planning to harness the opportunities presented by the social media for human capital development and job creation in order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.”
He noted: “Since a lot of our people are at home as a result of the virile nature of this virus, we urge our young ones to leverage on the many benefits that the social media presents; use their time meaningfully to acquire new skills and develop themselves through online training and courses, among others.
“Small business owners are urged to rethink and re-strategise how they connect with their customers who are on lockdown in order to keep their businesses afloat”.
Obaseki added: “I enjoin you to maintain contact with your relatives and loved ones through digital media channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Zoom, so that we can all be safe and protected.
“If you must go out, do so wearing facemasks, and continue to observe the hygiene and safety precautions, particularly the regular hand washing under running water with soap; the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers as well as social distancing practices.
“Most importantly, please stay at home as much as possible and protect the people around you.”
World Social Media Day was launched by Mashable on June 30, 2010. It was unveiled as a way to recognise social media’s impact on global communication, and to bring the world together to celebrate it.
