As Nigeria battles prolonged security concerns arising from threats posed by banditry, insurgency and Boko Haram terrorists, the National Association of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners (NAAIP) says the country can overcome these challenges if artificial intelligence is deployed to strengthen surveillance and intelligence analysis.
The association notes that artificial intelligence remains a critical tool for enhancing national security, offering advanced threat detection systems and improved investigative capacity.
President of NAAIP, Prof. Eyitope Ogubodede, stated this on Tuesday at a press conference marking the commencement of the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Awareness Day themed, “Harnessing Ethical Artificial Intelligence for National Transformation, Inclusive Growth, and Economic Resilience.”
He highlighted that governments at all levels could achieve significant progress if decisive steps are taken to integrate artificial intelligence into public service delivery. According to him, AI systems would improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability in public administration, strengthen planning, budgeting, and policy implementation, and advance smart infrastructure, digital identity systems, and e-governance platforms.
The NAAIP president also urged universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and research institutes to lead efforts in developing Nigeria’s intellectual and innovation capacity in AI.
He called for the inclusion of AI, data science, and digital literacy in curricula across disciplines beyond technology-related fields, the establishment of interdisciplinary AI research centres focused on solving local and national challenges, and sustained investment in innovation, experimentation, and student-driven problem-solving.
In his remarks, the Acting President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, announced that the Institute is partnering with NAAIP to deepen ethics and cultural relevance within Nigeria’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Prof. Dandaura emphasised the need for Nigeria to deliberately project its voice into global AI systems, stressing that AI models must reflect the country’s cultural realities, languages, social contexts, and value systems if Nigeria is to play a meaningful leadership role in global artificial intelligence discourse.
“We cannot afford to allow machines to redefine humanity in ways that erase our identity,” he said.
He added, “As regulators of reputation and communication management, we are committed to ensuring that artificial intelligence strengthens society without making human values subordinate to algorithms.”
He described NAAIP as one of the most credible bodies of AI professionals in Nigeria, noting that the collaboration would help entrench ethical consciousness across sectors.
Professor Dandaura stressed that NIPR’s involvement in AI governance is rooted in its long-standing commitment to ethics and responsible communication, recalling the Global Alliance AI principles for public relations practice, which the Institute is a signatory to.
He further noted that ethics remains central to the work of the current council led by Dr Ike Neliaku, as reflected in the theme of the forthcoming World Public Relations Forum 2026 scheduled for November 15–21 in Abuja — “Responsible Communication, Voice of the World.” According to him, the theme reinforces the Institute’s focus on integrity in a rapidly evolving digital age.
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