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Embrace Artificial Intelligence with ethics, VC urges Nigerians
Embrace Artificial Intelligence with ethics, VC urges Nigerians
By:Michael Mike
The Vice-Chancellor of African School of Economics (The Pan African University of Excellence), Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, has urged Africans in general and Nigerians in particular to embrace Artificial Intelligence while cautioning that it is must be used ethically.
Prof. Adedimeji made this submission in his address, “The Past is Present, The Present is Now”, delivered at the maiden Public Lecture of the university held on Thursday, January 30, 2024. The theme of the lecture, delivered by the Managing Director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone Limited, an agency of the Federal Government, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Higher Education in Africa”.
According to the two-time Vice-Chancellor, humanity today stands precariously at the brink of a precipice with fascinating and disruptive technologies that can be used to make life easy and abused to commit atrocities. He described Artificial Intelligence, once a subject of science fiction, as a current reality that permeates various facets of our lives, with its potential in education being amazing, adding that it is part of the past that is still present and it is an innovation that will still shape the future and the future is here already.
“With AI, it is possible for each student to receive personalised instruction. We can also analyse vast amounts of data and gain insights into how each student learns best, meaning that a one-size-fits-all model of education may no longer be applicable or sustainable. AI opens new doors to customised learning experience that nurtures each student’s potential. With instructional tools, education can be more dynamic, engaging and interactive, sparking curiosity, igniting creative thinking and fostering a love for lifelong learning,” he said.
He also noted the indispensable roles of AI in facilitating access to education. “We know that AI can facilitate global access to quality education, the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, and bring world-class resources to remote and underserved areas, thereby breaking down geographical barriers and democratising access to knowledge. Students anywhere can also have access to the same cutting-edge materials and expert instruction available somewhere, leveling the playing field like never before. The opportunities are limitless,” he stressed.
Nevertheless, he warned against its abuse, arguing that while Africans embark on the exciting journey that AI offers, there is a need for protocol, policies and frameworks the safeguard those values that are dear to us from being eroded, so that technology one day does not become our master, controlling and misleading us. He added that the tail should not wag the dog and humans should always be in charge, not that we should allow technology to control us.
He illustrated the need for ethical use of AI with the situation encountered in the 2004 American film, “I, Robot”, which stars Will Smith. He said the film futuristically portrays intelligent robots filling up public service positions with a smart but technophobic cop investigating a crime that might have been perpetrated by a robot, which eventually constitutes a threat to humanity. He noted that there is ultimately a deadly class between smart robots and humans in the film portraying the threat to humans that created them.
Prof. Adedimeji further used the occasion to invite applicants to the University, which he described as a convention university that offers twenty academic programmes in Arts, Social Sciences, Science and Computing as well as Allied Health Sciences at the undergraduate level. He added that his university also runs approved postgraduate programmes in Economics, Public Administration, Business Administration as well as Finance and Management.
Embrace Artificial Intelligence with ethics, VC urges Nigerians
Police repel bandits, rescue six kidnapped victims on Yankara-Funtua highway in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Police in Katsina State have successfully rescued six kidnapped victims after intercepting an armed bandit attack on Yankara-Funtua highway in Faskari Local Government Area.
Sources said on Jan. 24 at about 1:25 a.m., unidentified armed bandits blocked the highway and abducted six occupants of a green Honda Civic, registration number AAA 518 BC, en route from Funtua to Faskari.
The DPO Faskari, on routine patrol, promptly engaged the hoodlums in a tactical gunfight.
The bandits were overpowered and fled into the bush, abandoning their mission. All six victims, Rabi Hamisu, Safare Musa, Abubakar Samaila, Shehu Umar, Sara’u Yahaya, and Ibrahim Babangida, were rescued unharmed and safely returned to their homes.
Intensive patrols continue in the area, while efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects are ongoing.
Police repel bandits, rescue six kidnapped victims on Yankara-Funtua highway in Katsina
Suspect arrested for trespassing, attempting robbery at Bauchi Emir’s palace
By: Zagazola Makama
A 20-year-old man, Umar Hamza, was apprehended Wednesday night for trespassing and attempting to steal from the Emir of Bauchi’s residence.
Sources said Hamza entered one of the Emir’s son’s rooms carrying a bunch of keys and tried to commit theft around 8:20 p.m. on January 23.
He was intercepted shortly after the act and taken into the Police custody for questioning.
Police said Preliminary inquiries indicate the suspect intended to steal from the palace.
Suspect arrested for trespassing, attempting robbery at Bauchi Emir’s palace
VP Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after a week-long diplomatic and economic mission to Guinea-Conakry and Switzerland.
This is just as he said Nigeria has reclaimed a frontline seat in global and regional policy conversations.
VP Shettima arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration of Guinea’s President, Mamadi Doumbouya, and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.
According to the Vice President, the trip is part of Nigeria’s renewed commitment to regional solidarity in West Africa and its determination to reposition the economy under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
The Vice President had departed Abuja for Conakry, where he attended President Doumbouya’s inauguration, reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership role within ECOWAS, while opening new pathways for bilateral cooperation in agriculture and manufacturing.
From Guinea-Conakry, Senator Shettima proceeded to Davos, Switzerland, where he led the Nigerian delegation at the WEF 2026.
One of the highpoints of his engagements in that country was the commissioning of Nigeria House Davos, the Nigeria’s first-ever sovereign pavilion on the Davos Promenade, designed as a permanent investment hub showcasing opportunities in solid minerals, agriculture and the digital economy.
At a high-level WEF session titled, “When Food Becomes Security,” the Vice President outlined Nigeria’s new national food security framework, describing agriculture as a strategic pillar of national security and macroeconomic stability.
Vice President Shettima also joined former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, to advance the Accra Reset Initiative, a forum advocating African industrialisation driven by domestic capital and value chains rather than foreign aid.
On the economic front, the Vice President told investors that Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators were stabilising, citing a projected 4.4 per cent GDP growth in 2026 and a decline in inflation to 12.94 per cent.
He also pointed to Nigeria’s imminent transition into a net exporter of refined petroleum products, anchored by the Dangote Refinery, and the growing export of digital talent.
VP Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline
Police repel bandits, rescue six kidnapped victims on Yankara-Funtua highway in Katsina
Bandits abduct another four occupants of charcoal-laden vehicle in Kajuru LGA in Kaduna
Nobody is replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima. Tinubu affirms he remains the best and envisions a strategic partnership for Nigeria’s future.
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