Former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim has called on Nigerian leaders, institutions and professionals to approach artificial intelligence, robotics and other emerging technologies with a strong commitment to inclusion, warning that rapid technological progress could leave many people behind if its benefits are not deliberately shared.
Anyim made the call on Saturday, 3 October 2026, at the 2026 International Convention of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Alumni Association in Abuja. The convention brought together alumni and university officials around the theme, “Innovation, Integrity and Inclusion: Rekindling the Zik Vision for a New Era.”
According to P.M. News and the Peoples Gazette report based on NAN, Anyim said the pace of change associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution has placed fresh pressure on how societies protect human dignity. He pointed to AI, robotics, biotechnology and technologies as developments that could deliver major gains while also creating new forms of exclusion if access, skills and opportunities remain concentrated.
His argument was not for slowing technology, but for ensuring it works for ordinary people. He said institutions and professionals need strategies that allow more Nigerians to benefit from technological progress instead of allowing the gap between those with advanced tools and those without them to widen.
The warning is relevant to Nigeria, where technology is increasingly entering education, business, banking, communications and public administration. As more organisations automate tasks and adopt digital systems, workers without relevant skills could face greater pressure to retrain and compete in a changing labour market.
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Why Nigeria Needs Inclusive Technology, Not Technology for a Few
The issue raised by Anyim goes beyond the excitement surrounding new gadgets, AI tools and automated systems. For Nigeria, the bigger question is who gets the opportunity to learn, build and benefit from the technologies transforming the global economy.
At the same convention, NAN Managing Director Ali Muhammad Ali argued that Nigeria should move beyond being mainly a consumer of foreign inventions and develop solutions that respond directly to local problems. He also linked innovation with education, saying schools should place greater emphasis on knowledge creation, enterprise and social impact rather than certificates alone.
Digital progress can improve efficiency, reduce delays and widen access to services, but its benefits depend on infrastructure, education and affordability. A technology-driven economy will struggle to become inclusive when many citizens lack reliable electricity, internet access, digital skills or the money to adopt new tools.
The developments at Nnamdi Azikiwe University offered a practical example of how digital systems can improve access. The university said it has introduced digital clearance, online transcript processing and electronic provisional statements of results. Graduating students can complete clearance remotely, while digitally authenticated certificates can make verification easier for employers.
Technology is most useful when it removes unnecessary obstacles and improves people’s experience. The challenge is ensuring that similar benefits reach institutions and communities with fewer resources.
Back story: Nigeria Has Been Warned About Automation Before
Anyim’s concern about technology replacing traditional work is not entirely new. In a lecture delivered in November 2020 on the challenges of leadership in 21st-century Nigeria, he discussed robotics and artificial intelligence as technologies capable of taking over tasks previously performed by humans.
In that earlier address, published on his official website, Anyim predicted that growing automation could affect manufacturing, banking, transportation, education and other sectors, while stressing the need for workers to retool their skills. He argued that Nigeria would need deliberate leadership and long-term planning to compete in a rapidly changing world.
His latest intervention continues that argument, but places a sharper focus on human dignity, integrity and inclusion. The message is timely as AI tools become more accessible and businesses rethink how work is organised.
Nigeria’s opportunity is enormous. AI and robotics could support productivity, education, healthcare, manufacturing and public services, but the country will need policies that prepare young people for changing forms of work and create room for local innovators to participate.
The test for Nigeria may ultimately not be how quickly it adopts the newest technology, but whether that technology improves lives across different income groups across the country. That is the concern behind Anyim’s latest warning, and it is a question the country cannot afford to postpone for much longer.
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