E-Business
AI Adoption: Akindeinde Assures Nigerians on Jobs, Calls for Up-Skilling of Knowledge
Dr Oluseyi Akindeinde, Founder, Hyperspace and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NeuRaL AI, has said that AI adoption as disruptive as it may be, would not take away people’s jobs rather it would enhance their productivity.
Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, co-founder, Hyperspace Technologies Limited
Dr Akindeinde made this assertion at the NITRA ICT Growth Conference 4.0, organised by Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) and was held on Wednesday, 28th of August, 2024, at the CitiHeight Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
The event themed “Impact of AI on National Development: Prospects, Policies, and Challenges in Nigeria” hosted industry players to brainstorm on the prospects and also proffer solutions to challenges of Artificial Intelligence’s adoption in Nigeria.
Akindeinde also asserted that up-skilling of knowledge is a crucial requirement for sustainable AI adoption in Nigeria.
To discuss the topic Akindeinde started with the challenges facing AI adoption in Nigeria which includes phobia that it would disrupt and sack people from their jobs.
He assured Nigerians that AI would not take their jobs, maintaining that the problem with Nigerians is that there is always fear whenever a piece of technology is introduced in the country.
“Any time there is new technology that comes in, there is that phobia, there is that fear that it is going to be disruptive, yes, it is disruptive but when a piece of technology is disruptive that means it can do things cheaper, it can do things faster and it can do things better.
“But some of the challenges are based on the assumption that AI is going to take our jobs, and because it is going to take our jobs, the first thing is to push it back and will not allow it.
“I am here to assure that AI is not going to take anybody’s job, it is the same thing about 25 years ago when we started hearing about internet, even Journalists felt at a time, are we still going to have newspaper, anybody can just go online and have a blog and start reporting, you know, are we still going to have TV since somebody would go on Youtube and upload a video.
“And if you look back you recall how information was consumed back then, when something happened you probably wouldn’t hear about that event until, maybe, 7 o’clock news or 9 o’clock news or the following day when the newspapers will report it, but when the internet came, it democratized information dissemination. The same thing is happening with artificial intelligence,” he said.
Akindeinde further stated that rather than take away jobs, Artificial intelligence is going to help Nigerians, adding that the intelligence is still artificial.
“Whatever you are currently doing it is going to help your operation, it is not going to take your job because at the end of the day AI is artificial intelligence. Now for it to work that means something has existed which is human intelligence.
“That human intelligence has being with human for ages, which it put together to make artificial intelligence and the thing about AI is that the things humans find difficult to do, that is what AI is doing. The things we find easy to do, AI cannot do them.
“For instance, if I keep my phone on a platform and I said go into the room and pick my phone on the table, now the AI because you programmed it for the table, it will come back to tell you I can’t find your phone.
“But the human being will say okay, it is not on the table, it is elsewhere, he will pick it, but what humans find difficult, is what AI does better.
“As a Reporter, AI would make your job better; there is an app in the phone that as I am speaking, it is recording and not only recording, once I say stop, everything recorded, it would transcribe everything.
“Another person who doesn’t have it would use one hour transcribing the recording, but the AI would do that second, so right now you can be more productive.
He said AI can also be used in the movie industry, saying that AI can listen to every conversation in a movie and transcribe in two minutes what would take one week or more to transcribe.
He muted the idea of the need for training for Journalists on AI so that they will understand the workings of AI for proper information dissemination.
Speaking about the impact of AI on education, he said that Africa is wired for consumption, adding that they don’t produce and they don’t do things that affect the global economy all because of the educational system.
He gave the instance of China where their educational system permits them to teach their children in their local language, the language they understand.
“With AI when you are teaching in English it will be appearing to the person in his own language, everything is converted on the spot, it is not as if they are going to translate it, it is not as if you are going to teach Igbo teacher mathematics, no, AI can do that for you on the spot.”
Akindeinde disclosed further that AI can also help a vision impaired person by deploying a vision model to know what is happening around them.
He decried the absence of skilled personnel among professionals for adjudication and or regulation of issues relating to IA, he therefore suggested that lawyers, Journalists, doctors and others should go for training to up-skill their knowledge on the workings of AI.
During the panel session he also tackled the question if Nigeria has the requisite skill to embrace the concept of artificial intelligence, he said that Nigerians do not have the requisite skill right now.
According to him, “So, one of the things we have noted is that we don’t have that skill, even the regulator as well because the challenge is that technology will always precede regulation but if you want to regulate you can’t regulate what you don’t understand.
“How come we had protest, and we cannot use AI to identify those who were looting, stealing or causing destruction, I know in other climes they have a data base where they can actually tell you the person.
“But in other to do all these you need the skill, you need the understanding of the piece of technology that you are going to be dealing with.”
He added that AI as a piece of technology, a general all-purpose technology that can be used across several industries, just like the internet.
He said, “It is technology for everybody and there is no special internet engineer because everybody has skill, internet skill, because we know it will help us.”
Africa’s leading technology distributor Powerhouse, TD Africa, has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing cybersecurity awareness and digital resilience by sponsoring the 3rd Annual Secure 360 Summit Nigeria 2026, hosted by global cybersecurity leader Check Point Software Technologies, as Gold Sponsor.
Chioma Chimere, Coordinating Managing Director, TD Africa
This year’s summit was held in Abuja and Lagos, bringing together key stakeholders from across Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
Now in its third edition, the Secure 360 Summit has evolved into one of Nigeria’s premier cybersecurity forums, bringing together Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), Chief Information Officers (CIOs), IT Directors, and senior technology leaders from the financial services, telecommunications, enterprise, energy, and public sectors to address today’s rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
Speaking on the significance of the summit, Kingsley Oseghale, Country Manager, Check Point Nigeria, emphasized the need for stronger collaboration in tackling emerging cyber risks. “Cybersecurity has become a business priority rather than just an IT concern.
“Through the Secure 360 Summit, we continue to provide a platform for industry leaders to exchange insights, strengthen partnerships, and explore innovative approaches to securing today’s digital economy.
“We are pleased to have TD Africa as a valued partner in driving cybersecurity awareness across Nigeria.”
In her remarks, Chioma Chimere, Coordinating Managing Director, TD Africa, applauded Check Point for creating a platform that addresses one of the most critical challenges facing businesses and individuals. “Cybersecurity is everyone’s business. We owe it to ourselves, our organisations, and our communities to remain security-conscious in an increasingly connected world.
“At TD Africa, innovation drives everything we do, and innovation can only thrive in a secure environment.
“This is why we are proud to support initiatives like the Secure 360 Summit that promote knowledge sharing and strengthen our collective cyber resilience.”
The summit featured expert-led sessions on emerging cyber threats, artificial intelligence, cloud security, ransomware, and strategies for building resilient digital infrastructures, equipping participants with practical insights to navigate today’s cybersecurity landscape.
Through its continued partnership with global technology leaders like Check Point, TD Africa remains committed to empowering businesses across Africa with world-class cybersecurity solutions, fostering industry collaboration, and driving the continent’s secure digital transformation.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that every Nigerian is enrolled in the national identity database before the end of 2026, according to Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general and chief executive officer of the agency.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general and chief executive officer, NIMC
Coker-Odusote, who appeared on Channels Television, said the directive forms part of the federal government’s efforts to establish a comprehensive national identity system capable of supporting effective governance, planning, and service delivery.
“The President has given us till the end of this year to make sure that we capture every single Nigerian,” she said.
According to her, NIMC is working with partners under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) project to accelerate nationwide enrolment.
“What we have done is we have partnered through the World Bank ID4D project with front-end partners. They are part of the digital identity ecosystem. These are private citizens that we’ve enabled and given jobs to enrol citizens on our behalf,” she explained.
She stressed that the National Identification Number (NIN) remains a unique identifier, ensuring that every individual is registered only once.
“That’s why it’s called a unique identifier, so that you’re only enrolled once,” the NIMC DG added.
Coker-Odusote said Nigeria’s actual population remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 200 million to 250 million, making a comprehensive identity database essential for national planning.
“It is estimated that we’re 200 million. When we’re done enrolling, we will then know the actual numbers that we have. Some estimates say 230 million, while a few people say 250 million.
“Your identity is basically the foundation for effective governance and service delivery. How can you plan if you don’t know the total number of persons that you have? We have been mandated by Mr President to go down to the community levels to enrol every single Nigerian”, she said.
Responding to concerns about whether an individual could obtain multiple identities by registering in different locations or under different names, the NIMC boss said the commission’s biometric verification system prevents such occurrences.
She explained that while the previous system could accept duplicate enrolments before detecting them later, the current process automatically identifies and invalidates multiple registrations.
“The legacy system had no way of verifying at the front end whether you had already been captured. Once the record comes into the system, it flags it as a duplicate or that the person already exists in the database.
“You would only have one identity generated for you. The other record goes into a deduplication bucket where it is invalidated,” she said.
The NIMC DG added that biometric verification, including fingerprints and facial recognition, makes it virtually impossible for one person to maintain multiple identities.
“Absolutely. One of the things that this Act has done is to cement our role in capturing biometrics. Private and public sector organisations will no longer capture biometrics independently. They will validate identities through API integration with NIMC.
“The telcos are already doing that with us. If you need a SIM card, they capture your facial biometrics, which are matched against our database in real time to confirm that you are who you claim to be. We’re using biometric validation to tighten security around identity confirmation,” she said.
The remarks come weeks after Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026 into law on June 26, repealing the 2007 legislation.
The new law reinforces the “One Person, One Identity” policy by making the NIN the country’s foundational identity credential for accessing government and essential private services, including banking, passport applications, tax administration, pensions, land transactions, and consumer credit.
It also introduces stiffer penalties for identity theft, multiple registrations and unauthorised access to personal identity data, while strengthening data privacy protections and granting NIMC wider powers to investigate identity-related offences.
Cybersecurity and privacy experts are raising concerns around the growing trend of sports fans using generative AI to create World Cup-related images, mock-ups, predictions and social media content.
Whilst offering new ways for supporters to engage with major sporting events, these tools also introduce risks that many users may underestimate. In light of this, Kaspersky has shared the key risks fans should keep in mind when using generative AI tools, so they can continue enjoying the championship with peace of mind.
When fan AI goes rogue. A growing number of AI tools are being used to create World Cup-themed visuals, avatars, memes and other fan content. While these services may seem creative and harmless, not all of them come from trusted providers.
Many are launched quickly to capitalise on interest around major events, increasing the likelihood that users will interact with platforms that offer limited transparency around data handling, lack adequate privacy and security measures, or might even be designed with malicious intent.
Personal data at stake. To create customised World Cup content, users are often asked to upload selfies, sign up with an email address, connect social media accounts or share other personal information. In doing so, they may reveal more information than necessary without fully understanding how that data will be stored, used, or potentially exposed.
“AI-driven fan content may seem harmless, but one of the key privacy risks is that users are often encouraged to share far more personal information than necessary. A simple request to generate a themed avatar can involve the collection of photos, contact details, account data and behavioural insights – information that may later be insufficiently protected.
“Because major global events often create an ideal environment for opportunistic actors, fans should take a closer look at how these tools manage personal data before engaging with them,” says Anna Larkina, web content analysis and privacy expert at Kaspersky.
When fan content becomes a scam. AI-generated World Cup content in some cases can also be used to support fraud. Cybercriminals may use convincing mock-ups, fake giveaways, or official-looking fan pages to attract attention and build trust. Once users engage, they may be redirected to phishing sites, fake stores, fraudulent offers, or betting-related scams. Generative AI makes these campaigns easier to produce, more persuasive and far easier to scale.
The myth of AI predictions. Another area that deserves caution is AI-powered match prediction. However advanced or data-driven these tools may appear, AI cannot reliably predict inherently uncertain sporting outcomes. When used to promote betting, paid subscriptions or “insider communities”, such services can create a false sense of confidence and encourage risky decisions.
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