Chai! Matter don land o, wey people dey talk say AI go scatter jobs for Naija. But no be so e be as National Association of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners (NAAIP) don yarn am clear for Abuja this week. Dem gather for 2026 AI Awareness Day, come drop some wisdom wey go make us chill.
Prof Peter Okebukola, wey be the founding father of NAAIP, yan say Nigeria gats level up. We no fit just dey consume foreign AI tools like mumu. Instead, we need to dey produce our own data and solutions like champions!
Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, wey be the president of NAAIP, come shock everybody when e clear the air say AI no be enemy of jobs. E even talk say na like when typewriters dey reign and computers come change the game. Nobody lose work that time nah. Na so AI go be.
“If you no sabi AI, you dey risk your job, but for those wey don get hand for AI matter, more jobs dey come. E plenty for those wey dey use AI to hustle make dem dey smile for bank,” Ogunbodede yan. Im talk say many enterpreneurs dey earn big money through AI from the comfort of their homes. Na wetin you go call that one if no be blessing?
But e no sweet am when e talk about Nigeria dey rely on foreign data for AI. “The data wey we dey use mostly dey come from outside. Na why NAAIP dey shout make we start to gather our own data. Even Chatbot and ChatGPT, the data wey dey drive dem no dey truly represent us, so sometimes the gist no go align with our wahala. We gats innovate and generate our own data to fit our condition,” he add.
The matter don reach many students and lecturers matter too. E be like say students don sabi AI reach everywhere but lecturers dey lag behind. Ogunbodede talk say most students dey use AI well but lecturers still dey learn. Na wah! This one mean say we gats balance the equation make everybody dey on the same level.
Prof Uduma Orji Uduma, wey dey represent the Vice-Chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria, comes show say statistics dey back am. Google talk say 93 percent of Naija people wey get smartphone dey run AI, and 80 percent dey use am to solve better wahala. This one mean say AI don enter our lives well well, e don dey popular for Naija like gala for roadside market.
At the end of the show, NAAIP Vice-President, Prof Nasiru Maiturare, burst our brain with words of wisdom. E advise stakeholders say we gats own our AI development. “If we no take charge, we go just dey follow person wey fit plan AI for our own wahala. We no fit allow that to happen!”
So my people, make we no dey fear AI like bad belle. E fit bring plenty opportunities if we fit embrace am and make we own our data. Naija go dey alright!
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
