By Aliyu Adam
The University of Ilorin in partnership with Russia’s RUDN University has called on the Nigerian government to adopt a rights-based national Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy and treat cybersecurity as a national priority. Experts from the two universities warned that deepfakes, phishing, and algorithmic bias threaten Nigeria’s digital future.
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This formed part of the resolutions reached at the Biennial International Conference jointly organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, and the Faculty of Philology, RUDN University, Russia, held in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The conference, themed “Disruptive Technology: Human and Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Economy,” attracted scholars, researchers, communication experts, policymakers, royal fathers, students and development partners from Africa, Europe and Asia.
In an eight-point communique made available to journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday, the conference demanded urgent reforms in AI governance, education, and public communication.
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The communique was signed by Dr. Oba Abdulkadir La’aro, chairman of the communique drafting committee, and members Dr. Fatima Abubakre and Dr. Abdulrasheed Saadudeen.
The conference 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 harm. Participants said Nigeria must ensure that AI and the digital economy do not deepen existing inequalities.
They singled out cybersecurity as 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 communique 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.
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They also urged journalists and communication practitioners to co-develop enforceable ethical frameworks to tackle disinformation, deepfakes, and algorithmic bias while promoting indigenous knowledge.
The conference welcomed a partnership offer between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Kwara State government, saying it should be adopted immediately as a model for AI collaboration between government and academia.
The communique called for citizenship education to equip youths to use AI responsibly and critically, rather than as passive consumers of foreign-designed technologies
