Professor Emeritus Okebukola: Why Nigeria Must Build An AI-Ready Workforce

By Daniel Dafe

Prof. Emeritus Peter Okebukola has emphasized the need for Nigeria to build an AI-ready workforce.

Prof. Okebukola, delivering the 17th Convocation Lecture of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka on Friday, titled: ‘‘Building an AI-Ready Workforce for Nigeria’s Future: Strategies For Education, Skills Development and Innovation,’ added that “without building an AI-ready workforce, Nigeria risks falling behind in a rapidly evolving global economy, where technological innovation will determine the pace of development.”

He said that “Artificial Intelligence has the potential to be the defining force of the 21st century, reshaping every aspect of life—from healthcare breakthroughs and education advancements to more secure societies and sustainable infrastructure.”

Adding: “The vast applications of AI offer unprecedented solutions to some of Nigeria’s most pressing issues, such as poor healthcare delivery, inadequate infrastructure, educational underperformance, and national security challenges.”

Continuing, the Convocation Lecturer, a Professor of Science and Computer Education at the Lagos State University, said that “the current and future workforce must be equipped with the skills to develop, manage, and utilise AI technologies, ensuring that the country can capitalize on the potential of AI for economic growth, societal advancement, and global competitiveness.”

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He thus called on DELSU to lead the charge in preparing the Nigerian workforce for the future.

His words: “As a key institution in Nigeria’s higher education landscape, DELSU has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in education and innovation. It is poised to become a centre of AI research and development, fostering the growth of AI expertise that will shape Nigeria’s technological landscape in the decades to come.

Although he said that the strategies for building an AI-ready workforce are multifaceted and require concerted efforts in curriculum development, technical skills training, innovation, and research, DELSU’s academic rigour, coupled with its focus on practical, hands-on learning, can provide students with the skills needed to thrive in the AI-driven world.”

Prof. Okebukola opined that DELSU can be at the forefront of this movement by strategically aligning its educational programmes, skills development initiatives, and innovation efforts with the demands of the AI-driven future, adding that DELSU can ensure that Nigeria is not only prepared for the digital age but is also positioned as a global leader in AI.

Speaking further, he said that “Nigeria’s future workforce will be shaped by how well we respond to the emerging needs of AI.”

‘The proactive steps we take today will determine whether Nigeria thrives in the AI-driven future or risks falling behind in an increasingly digital world. It is a future within our reach, and institutions like DELSU will play a pivotal role in ensuring that Nigeria does not just adapt to this future but leads the charge,” he opined.

Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Samuel Asagba, who chaired the event, in his remarks thanked Prof. Okebukola for the enlightening lecture on AI.

He said all suggestions made by him were noted and will be pursued vigorously, just as he said his administration was already thinking in the line of AI, saying the newly introduced faculties attest to this.

“We will start with the library in the implementation of the AI concept,” he said.

Asagba announced that the Convocation lecturer will serve as consultant to the university to enable DELSU become an AI institution, while praising the efforts of Professor Tsetimi, a Professor of Industrial Mathematics in DELSU and Vice President (South-South), National Association of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners, NAAIP.

Dignitaries present at the occasion include the wife of the Vice Chancellor, Mrs. Elizabeth Asagba; Chairman of the Governing Council, Gen. Alexander Odeareduo Ogomudia (Rtd); Principal Officers of the university, former Vice-Chancellor, DELSU, Professor Emeritus Eric Arubayi and his wife, Prof. (Mrs.) Diana Arubayi.