Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be deployed to strengthen Nigeria’s national security, public safety and policymaking, while human oversight, data protection and accountability must remain central to its use.
This is according to Dr. Kazeem Sulaiman, who represented the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone Limited at the eighth Lagos State University (LASU) Research and Innovation Fair.
Sulaiman is the Technical Assistant to the Galaxy CEO.
He said Nigeria needed trusted datasets reflecting its languages, geography, cultures, economic realities, institutions and security challenges.
He also raised concerns over deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation, warning that fabricated audio, manipulated videos and fake emergency messages could be weaponised to create panic, manipulate elections or impersonate public officials and other individuals.
He said Nigeria would increasingly require digital forensics, AI-generated content detection, cybersecurity, public awareness, trusted communications and digital media literacy to confront the emerging threat.
Sulaiman further warned that AI could deepen inequality if developed without addressing the country’s digital divide.
Citing DataReportal’s 2026 report, he said Nigeria had about 109 million internet users at the end of 2025, representing 45.5 per cent internet penetration, leaving about 130 million people offline.
He said the figures showed that AI was not merely a technology issue but also an inclusion issue.
“AI inclusion must begin with digital inclusion,” he said, identifying connectivity, affordable access, digital literacy, computing capacity, local content and trusted digital infrastructure as critical requirements.
Universities urged to lead AI revolution
The Galaxy Backbone representative urged Nigerian universities, including LASU, to reposition themselves as centres for developing AI solutions to local challenges rather than merely teaching students to use existing AI tools.
He proposed research programmes focusing 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 links among government, universities and industry to close what he described as the research-to-market gap.
According to him, government should present national challenges as research problems, universities should develop solutions, industry should support commercialisation and scaling, while government should become an early adopter where appropriate.
Sulaimon said Galaxy Backbone was ready to partner with universities and other institutions in building the infrastructure required for an AI-enabled Nigeria.
He noted that the organisation operates shared digital infrastructure, including data-centre services, cloud and hosting capabilities, cybersecurity and government network services.
He said AI development would require secure computing, connectivity, storage, data centres, cybersecurity, reliable electricity, skilled personnel and resilient digital networks.
Five-point agenda
Sulaiman proposed five priorities for Nigeria’s AI-enabled security future: building trusted AI infrastructure, developing Nigerian datasets, strengthening AI security capabilities, making responsible AI non-negotiable and investing in human capacity.
He urged universities to establish practical AI transformation programmes around research, innovation, governance, commercialisation and national development.
He said the country must develop people capable of researching, building, securing and governing AI, including data scientists, cybersecurity professionals, AI ethicists, policy specialists, engineers, entrepreneurs and public servants.
Earlier, the Dean of the LASU Postgraduate School, Prof. Ibrahim Olateju, who declared the final day of the fair open on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Distinguished Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, described the event as a defining platform for scholarship, innovation and enterprise.
He said the fair had become a living tradition that reinforces LASU’s position as a hub for research, innovation and national development.
