The National Association of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners (NAAIP) has dismissed concerns that the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) could trigger widespread job losses in Nigeria, insisting instead that the technology will generate more employment opportunities.
The assurance was given on Wednesday at the 2026 AI Awareness Day in Abuja.
Speaking with journalists, the President of NAAIP, Mr. Eyitope Ogunbodede, likened the rise of AI to the transition from typewriters to computers, arguing that technological shifts historically create new roles rather than eliminate livelihoods.
“AI will not render people jobless, as some have speculated. It is just like when we used typewriters in those days and then computers came along. They did not render anybody jobless,” Mr. Ogunbodede said.
“If you are not in tune with developments in AI, you may become jobless. In fact, AI is creating more jobs. For those who move with AI and are conversant with what is going on, they will continue to retain their jobs.
“Today, some entrepreneurs and social media users are sitting in the comfort of their homes and earning substantial income using AI. So, it is creating more jobs.”
However, Ogunbodede expressed concern over Nigeria’s dependence on foreign data to power AI systems, warning that the country risks remaining a passive consumer in a rapidly expanding digital economy.
“Even the common tools we are using now, such as chatbots and ChatGPT, are driven by background data that is essentially not our own. That is why you find that some of the information produced may not apply directly to our context,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to support efforts to generate indigenous data and develop local AI solutions, stressing that the country has the capacity but requires stronger collaboration and investment.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Prof. Uduma Orji Uduma, who was represented by Mr. Monioluwa Olaniyi, said AI adoption in Nigeria has grown significantly.
Citing data from Google, he said 93 per cent of Nigerians with access to smartphones are active AI users, with 80 per cent deploying the technology to solve complex tasks.
“Whether we like it or not, virtually everybody is actively using AI. This means artificial intelligence is now popular in Nigeria and makes us one of the largest markets for it,” he said.
The Vice-President (North-West) of NAAIP, Mr. Nasiru Maiturare, called on stakeholders to take ownership of Nigeria’s AI development, emphasising that building local capacity will be critical to unlocking job opportunities in the future of work.
