Treat cybersecurity as national priority — Academics urge FG

By Muyideen Aliyu

The University of Ilorin and Russia’s RUDN University have urged the Federal Government to adopt an Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy and treat cybersecurity as a national priority.

Experts from the two institutions warned that deepfakes, phishing, and algorithmic bias threaten Nigeria’s digital future.

This formed part of the resolutions at the end of the biennial International Conference organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, in collaboration with the Faculty of Philology, RUDN University, Russia, held in Ilorin recently.

Themed “Disruptive Technology: Human and Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Economy,” the international conference drew academics, policymakers, and tech professionals from Nigeria and Russia.

In a communiqué made available to newsmen in Ilorin on Tuesday, the conference demanded urgent reforms in AI governance, education, and public communication.

The communiqué, signed by the chairman of the communiqué drafting committee, Dr. Oba Abdulkadir La’aro, urged the Federal Government to develop and fund a national AI strategy that is “rights-based, equity-conscious” and extends beyond urban centres to rural and low-income communities.

It also backed laws that make automated decisions contestable and hold institutions accountable for algorithmic harms, stressing that Nigeria must ensure AI and the digital economy do not deepen existing inequalities.

The communiqué pointed out that cybersecurity is a growing threat, citing the rise of deepfakes, vishing, and phishing.

“The sophistication of threats documented at this Conference demands coordinated government action, not institutional responses alone,” the communiqué stated.

Delegates also called for an urgent review of university curricula to produce graduates who are ethically grounded and capable of working alongside AI with critical judgement.

They urged media practitioners and communicators to co-develop enforceable ethical frameworks to tackle disinformation, deepfakes, and algorithmic bias while promoting indigenous knowledge.

The communiqué concluded with a call for citizenship education to equip youths to use AI responsibly and critically, rather than as passive consumers of foreign-designed technologies.