The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has urged Nigerian universities to take the lead in driving the nation’s transition into the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era, warning that the country risks being left behind if its institutions fail to act swiftly.
Delivering a lecture at the 23rd Convocation Ceremony of Igbinedion University, Okada, General Nafiu said AI is rapidly reshaping global education systems, and Nigeria must decide whether to harness the technology or be overtaken by it.
He noted that Nigeria’s youthful population—60 percent of whom are under 25—places the country at a strategic advantage, but only if deliberate investments are made in AI literacy, innovation, and higher-education reform.
Citing projections that Nigeria’s AI market could grow by 27% annually and contribute up to $15 billion to the GDP by 2030, the NYSC DG referenced successful AI-powered educational experiments both internationally and within Edo State.
These examples, he said, prove AI’s potential to enhance teaching quality, widen access to learning, and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
General Nafiu highlighted the transformative possibilities of AI in higher education, including personalised learning systems, faster research output, improved access to quality instruction, and more efficient campus administration. He stressed, however, that Nigerian universities must evolve from being mere consumers of imported technologies to creators of Africa-centric AI solutions.
“We must prioritise innovations that address our unique realities—predictive tools for agriculture, diagnostic systems for local diseases, and educational platforms tailored to our multilingual and resource-constrained environment,” he said.
He added that the NYSC is well positioned to support this national shift, given its annual mobilisation of nearly 400,000 corps members who could serve as AI literacy ambassadors across both urban and rural communities.
General Nafiu also identified several obstacles, including poor infrastructure, the threat of digital colonialism, a shortage of AI-skilled academic staff, ethical risks, and limited funding.
He called on universities to adopt clear ethical guidelines for AI usage and to strengthen policies that protect academic integrity.
He recommended five strategic actions: strengthened infrastructure, updated curricula, lecturer capacity building, solid institutional governance, and equitable access to AI tools.
Congratulating the graduating students, he urged them to embrace the responsibilities of a digital era.
“AI has already transformed your world,” he said. “Your task is to lead the transformation that comes next.”
