Nigeria Must Leverage AI for Better Security, Governance

An Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, has urged Nigeria to deploy AI to strengthen national security, public safety and policymaking.

 

Adeyanju made the call at the Eighth Lagos State University (LASU) Research and Innovation Fair on Wednesday.

 

The AI expert is the Managing Director of a government-owned information and communication technology organisation, Galaxy Backbone Ltd.

 

Represented by his technical assistant, Dr Kazeem Suliamon, Adeyanju spoke on “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Security, Safety and Policy Transformation”.

 

He said Nigeria’s complex security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, trafficking and infrastructure vandalism, required sophisticated data and intelligence capabilities.

 

According to him, AI can support security agencies through predictive analytics, threat detection, cyber defence and improved situational awareness.

 

He, however, cautioned against treating AI as a technology capable of predicting crime with certainty.

 

“AI should provide security professionals with better information, earlier warning and stronger analytical capability.

 

‘’However, final security decisions must remain with appropriately authorised human professionals, ‘’ he said.

 

He also identified policymaking as an area where AI could have significant transformative impact through analysis of large datasets and modelling of possible outcomes.

 

He said AI could also simulate policy interventions, evaluate government programmes and optimise the allocation of scarce resources.

 

‘’The capabilities can help move public administration from reactive policymaking to predictive, evidence-based and adaptive decision-making.

 

‘’However, AI should inform public policy; it should not replace public accountability,” he said.

 

He advocated a shift from “build first, protect later” to developing AI systems securely and responsibly from inception.

 

He listed purpose limitation, data minimisation, lawful processing, data quality, security safeguards, transparency and accountability among measures needed for responsible AI deployment.

 

On data quality, Adeyanju identified incomplete, inaccurate or biased datasets as major challenges capable of producing unreliable or discriminatory AI outcomes.

 

He said Nigeria needed trusted datasets reflecting its languages, geography, cultures, economic realities, institutions and security challenges.

 

He expressed concern over deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation, warning that fabricated audio and manipulated videos could be weaponised.

 

‘’Fake emergency messages can create panic, manipulate elections or impersonate public officials and other individuals.

 

‘’Nigeria will increasingly require digital forensics, AI-generated content detection, cybersecurity, public awareness and digital media literacy.

 

‘’However, AI can deepen inequality, if the country fails to address its digital divide, ‘’ he said.

 

Adeyanju urged Nigerian universities, including LASU, to become centres for developing AI solutions to local challenges.

 

He said universities should move beyond teaching students how to use existing AI tools and focus more on developing indigenous solutions.

 

He proposed research programmes on AI for urban safety, flood prediction, healthcare, agriculture, cybersecurity and public policy.

 

“These are not simply academic exercises. They can become national assets,” he said.

 

He also called for stronger collaboration among government, universities and industry to close the research-to-market gap.

 

He said government should present national challenges as research problems, while universities develop solutions and industry supports commercialisation and scaling.

 

‘’Government should also become an early adopter of appropriate locally developed solutions, ‘’ the professor said.

 

He said Galaxy Backbone was ready to partner with universities and other institutions in building infrastructure required for an AI-enabled Nigeria.

 

Adeyanju urged universities to establish practical AI transformation programmes covering research, innovation, governance, commercialisation and national development.

 

He said Nigeria needed people capable of researching, building, securing and governing AI, including data scientists, cybersecurity professionals and AI ethicists.

 

Earlier, the Dean, LASU Postgraduate School, Prof. Ibrahim Olateju, declared the final day of the fair open on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello.

 

Olateju described the event as a defining platform for scholarship, innovation and enterprise.

 

He said the fair had become a living tradition reinforcing LASU’s position as a hub for research, innovation and national development.

Credit NAN: Texts Excluding headlines