Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno and his two counterparts from Gombe and Nasarawa states, Inuwa Yahaya and Abdullahi Sule, respectively, have urged the Federal Government to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to address challenges bedevilling the nation.
The three northern governors made the call at a public presentation of a book written by Isa Pantami, a former minister of communications and digital economy, on Wednesday in Abuja.
They also advocated the consolidation of the gains of the immediate past administration in the areas of information and communications technology (ICT).
At the event, Babatunde Fashola, a former Lagos State governor and immediate past minister of works, aligned with the three governors, saying Nigeria should keep an eye on artificial intelligence.
The book, which chronicles Pantami’s journey in public service and his scholarly contributions to ICT and digital economic growth in Nigeria, is titled “A Scholar’s Journey Navigating Academia.”
Governor Zulum, who chaired the event, said the previous administration achieved a lot in the areas of ICT and the deployment of digital assets to address contemporary challenges. He urged the present administration to consolidate the gains.
According to Zulum, the ICT sector witnessed an unprecedented turnaround and contributed significantly to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP), asserting that it enabled the government to earn enormous revenues from the non-oil sector.
Zulum praised Pantami’s dedication to public service, saying some of the challenges facing the country, especially in the areas of security and economic growth, could be addressed with ICT and digital assets already put in place.
On his part, Governor Yahaya, who is the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, lauded Pantami for his contribution towards the development of Gombe.
The book was reviewed by Abdulrasheed Abubakar, a former executive secretary of the National University Commission (NUC).
