In response to President Bola Tinubu’s remark that borrowing is not the same as leprosy, former president Olusegun Obasanjo criticised Tinubu, comparing debt to the disease and stating that it ruins generations more effectively.
“Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Solve Grassroots Problems and Accelerate National Development.” That was Obasanjo’s topic at Friday’s Ajibosin Platform public discussion in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Borrowing money should not be seen negatively, according to Tinubu, who stated in April that his administration will do so whenever needed.
During a meeting at the State House with Plateau leaders led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang and APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, Tinubu had mentioned that borrowing money is not a sign of leprosy; rather, it simply means that we must work hard in order to pay it back.
His comments followed escalating public outcry over the ever-increasing proportion of Nigeria’s GDP going toward debt payments.
“And for anybody to say debt is no leprosy, is absolute nonsense,” Obasanjo remarked in response at the Ajibosin Platform. Worse than leprosy is debt. The disease kills just one individual. Generating debt is a path to ruin.
He asked what the nation had done to get the naira to N1,500 to the dollar, recalling that 47 years ago, when he began farming, the exchange rate was N1 to $1.85.
One naira was worth $1.85 when I began farming 47 years ago. That’s a long time ago. With a currency rate of 1,500 naira to $1, what has Nigeria accomplished in the past 47 years? “So, what’s the deal?” he enquired.
“What do our leaders know?’ he asked, casting doubt on the ability of the political elite to better the lives of Nigerians. What is it that they don’t know? What can they provide us based on their knowledge?
In addition, Obasanjo blasted Nigeria’s reliance on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that the organisations weren’t made for Nigeria and weren’t even created by Nigerians. We did not construct them.
We were not yet autonomous when they were constructed. Averting the adoption of foreign economic prescriptions that fail to take into account Nigeria’s reality, he warned that such individuals would decide what action to take.
Dr. Umar Ardo, a historian and public policy expert, was another speaker at the event. Ardo emphasised that a society cannot achieve sovereignty through AI until it gains control over its own institutions, priorities, and resources.
While speaking on the anniversary topic, Ardo emphasised that while AI could provide answers, it cannot, as long as ownership and control are maintained outside, provide the proper solutions for Africa.
He detailed his experience with artificial intelligence (AI) as a research assistant in writing The Nigerian Development Doctrine, but claimed that doing so revealed the limitations of the technology.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to increase human intelligence, but this experience has shown me its limitations as well. “A system can identify patterns and organise knowledge, but it cannot replace human judgement, political responsibility, or institutions capable of implementation.
It may produce a plausible answer without producing the right solution for the problem of a particular society,” he stated. Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve human reasoning and decision-making abilities, but it cannot grant a society sovereignty until it gains command of its own priorities, institutions, and resources, he continued.
Noting that Africa’s issue has never been a lack of technology but rather its unsavoury adoption, he cautioned that technology is inherently biased in its distribution.
He emphasised that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to empower African nations to control their own destinies, but only if Nigeria prioritises sovereignty in its infrastructure development (i.e., data centers, chip fabrication, African-owned datasets, and continental coordination through the AU Data Policy Framework).
In her opening remarks, the event’s chair, Mrs. Onikepo Akande, emphasised the undeniable significance of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is already altering people’s ways of thinking and doing their jobs.
Mrs. Akande acknowledged that artificial intelligence (AI) may aid in seeing possibilities, overcoming obstacles, enhancing logistics, and making businesses more competitive. However, she advised Nigerians to use technology wisely in order to promote sustainable development in areas including as healthcare, agriculture, and education.