…sponsors over 100 residents on free 3-day AI training programme
…says low intelligence responsible for Benue Massacre
The Atayero of Aramoko Kingdom, M’oba Olusegun Aderemi has called on the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji to leverage on artificial intelligence for economic growth.
Aderemi noted that the evolution of AI has been changing the facelift of every facet, emphasizing the need for the state government to take advantage of the technology to further boost its economy.
The community leader gave this advice on Wednesday in Aramoko Kingdom, at the grand finale of a three-day AI training programme for over 100 residents held at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) centre in the town.
Speaking with journalists, M’oba Aderemi, who is also the Nigerian Regional President of Occupational Safety and Health, said the impact and usefulness of AI on youths are endless, noting that its adoption would enable the participants to have an edge over others and solve real world problems with the aid of technology.
He urged the youths to embrace the wave of technology, saying it’s the trend that would generate income for them and make them financially independent.
Aderemi used the opportunity to call on all sons and daughters of Aramoko Kingdom to contribute their quota to their host community, stressing that their involvement is necessary for the growth and development of Ekiti.
However, the community leader attributed the recent Benue Killings to low intelligence, saying such dastardly occurrences could have been averted if artificial intelligence was put in place to survey the hideouts and wipe out the terrorists.
He hailed President Bola Tinubu for his various reform policies aimed at making life better for Nigerians, while also commending Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his giant strides in ensuring that Ekiti is at the forefront of development.
His words, “First of all, we need to talk about information technology then, we can talk about artificial intelligence. If the state government is able to go online, go hitech, they will be able to do things faster and they will be able to do more.
“Artificial Intelligence is an algorithm base and since it is a new thing, it’s the way to do so many things. The adoption of artificial intelligence can help the state government to increase their revenue.
“Where the manual means cannot identify, the AI can identify it and make it possible for funds to be generated in those areas.
“The usefulness and result of AI to the youths are endless, it’s now the way of life. Any youth that doesn’t know about AI is backward. AI keeps evolving, any responsible youth has to key into it to be able to enjoy what others are enjoying because it will make youth have better money and a better life.
“I think what is happening in Benue State can be averted with the use of AI. If the government can deploy drones, to be able to identify where these hoodlums are, if the federal government can be proactive enough to make use of AI, you can avert so many things and we can increase the intelligence base.
“I want to attribute what’s happening in Benue State to low intelligence, when there’s full intelligence, it will tell you before something happens but now, we only have intelligence after an incident. It’s a challenge, it’s an intelligence issue which has to be taken seriously by the government”.
The Trainer and President of Nigerian Entrepreneurship Youth Initiative, Adefisoye Adesola said the participants were trained on digital skills including cyber security and how to use prompt engineering to control artificial intelligence.
He added that the program also covered training on digital marketing, which would enable the entrepreneurs to market their products outside Nigeria with the aid of technology.
“Today, we are doing the graduation of the first of its kind in Aramoko Kingdom, Ekiti State digital skills for the youth, and they have been trained on how to use artificial intelligence and how to use prompt engineering in controlling artificial intelligence.
“They also learned about machine learning. They’ve learned about mobile cybersecurity on how to secure their data online in order not to be hacked by hackers.
“Another thing they have also learned is about digital marketing because most of them are also entrepreneurs. So for them to market their products, it has to be on technology”.
A participant, Joseph Fajuyigbe commended the community leader and organiser for bringing the programme to his doorsteps, saying it would enable him to explore more of technology and take advantage of it to navigate through his endeavours.
Esther Olaniyi described the training as an eye-opener that has given her insight into technology, saying the outstanding certificate earned would serve as an advantage for her as she evolves with artificial intelligence.
Another highpoint of the event was the presentation of certificates to outstanding participants, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
