Foreign News
NITDA DG CANVASSES FOR SAFER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE UTILIZATION
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
Sponsored by: H&H
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes embedded in people’s lives and activities to an unnoticeable stage, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has urged the global tech community to find measures that will ensure that AI systems are built according to policies, regulations, and laws.
Inuwa made this call while joining world-leading tech experts at the Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a plenary session with the theme, “Catalyzing AI Communities and Solutions: Sharing Cases Across the EU, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.”
The DG stated that getting people in the community to be part of building AI systems is very important. Because if few techy people are allowed to develop AI systems, they will build the systems with a techy mindset, while the systems are used in so many ways such as criminal justice, recruitment, profiling, etc. So software engineers that build AI are beyond just software engineers; they are also social engineers.
Inuwa emphasized that the government needs to make sure that there are Ethics, Codes, and Standard for anybody designing any system that will make decisions on behalf of the government or that will make decisions that the community must follow.
He further stated that “the way it is today, we obey most of the rules of these technologies than the rules of our country. Before you use any system or access any place controlled by the technology, you have to agree to follow the rules of the technology.”
“We need to stop looking at technology from either consumer’s perspective in terms of where he buys and costs or a capitalist’s in terms of how to exploit or build products around it.
“We are not encouraging the government to use armchair theory to come up with laws or regulations. But we are saying that the government should co-create it with the ecosystem because the technology is new and evolving.
You cannot regulate what you don’t know. Regulation is synonymous with putting a traffic light in a traffic place, and you need to understand the traffic patterns before putting the traffic light,” he added.
Inuwa further informed that to make the digital space safer for everyone, including children, Nigeria came up with a Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries.
He said what the government is trying to achieve with the Code is to ensure that what is illegal offline is illegal online, adding that the action plan is to move Nigeria’s legal laws to the digital space. Initially, cyberspace was seen as an ungoverned space, but now everyone agrees that regulation is needed. However, what is the right regulation, and he further stated that it can’t be created today.
The creation of the regulations needs to evolve.
The DG also highlighted the need to ensure that unaccountable power doesn’t reside and be exercised by anyone.
He gave an example of how big tech companies are more powerful than some sovereign nations due to the data and information in their possession. He further stated, “the government is saying to the big tech companies/platforms, we want you to be accountable and enhance competition.
Most of the laws and regulations around the world are talking about anti-competition and anti-trust laws, the need for increased accountability, or safeguarding privacy.
This is because big tech companies, in what is referred to as surveillance capitalism, take a lot of data and information about their users to improve products and services. This behavioral surplus data is used to manipulate and control people without their knowledge through what is called instrumentarian power.
The government wants these companies to be accountable, more open, and transparent in what they do without dominating the market. He added that, due to the domination factor that plays out in the tech space, some big techs always try to acquire anyone doing something in their niche. So, to avoid that, we need a level playing field where we can allow local start-ups to grow.
Furthermore, the DG stated that the government is looking at technology beyond just a tool but as something that can be used for governance transformation. He added that “We are not saying the government should have total control over the technology that can lead to authoritarian regime or dictators with full power to do whatever they want. Rather, we should use it to protect our democracy.
“We used to say these tools are improving democracy and increasing freedom of speech, but today, we realized that they are actually eroding democracy and diminishing freedom. So how can we hold them accountable? How can we use the community to create the laws.
Foreign News
EKWEREMADU : DABIRI-EREWA PLEADS FOR COMPASSION
AJAGBE ADEYEMl TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has joined others in pleading with the UK government to show leniency with former Nigeria Deputy Senate President, Ike
Ekweremadu awaiting the verdict of the court on organ harvesting.
EKWEREMADU
In a statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols of NIDCOM in Abuja, she pleaded with the court to show compassion and sympathy in this case
” I join men and women of goodwill to plead for clemency for Sen. Ike Ekweremadu , if only even considering the psychological trauma, Sonia , the daughter, would be going through knowing that her parents are in jail because they tried to save her from a health condition she had no control over”, Dabiri-Erewa pleaded.
Dabiri-Erewa who reiterated her pleas, implored the UK government to temper justice with mercy, admitted that “mistakes have been made , and lessons learnt”.
The NIDCOM boss posited that though there is no ignorance before the law, Ekweremadu and his wife acted under natural instincts of parents to save an ailing daughter, and not for commercial purposes
Foreign News
DABIRI-EREWA BAGS YET ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL HONOR
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Shri Gangandharanian Balasubramanian has honored Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), for her excellent contributions to Nigeria Diaspora especially women in the area of rescue and rehabilitation, supporting democracy and legislative reforms by enabling laws in favour of freedom and non-violence.
The Indian High Commissioner stated this when He conferred the Honor on the NIDCOM Boss in Abuja, during the celebration of some Nigerian Women Achievers and the launch of Indian Women Association, Abuja Chapter.
Balasubramanian added that every woman is an achiever in all aspects of their lives and this year ‘s celebration is to recognize few wonderful achievers both in India and Nigeria. He is certain that this tradition will continue as an annual event in the years to come.
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa expressed her gratitude to the Indian High Commission for honoring her amongst the very few Nigerian Women. She added that NiDCOM will continue to strengthen ties between Nigerian-Indian Diaspora and the Global Diaspora.
The NiDCOM boss highlighted the contributory roles of women to National Development. According to her, “ as a woman, one has to work three times harder, because your mistakes are more noticeable but as a woman I am grateful for men who support and recognize the efforts of women who are blazing the trail across all sectors of the economy”.
She concluded that the Indian Diaspora is a powerful force to its National Development and promise to do same with the Nigerian Diaspora to fast track Nigeria’s technological advancement.
Foreign News
Chizoba: FG Will Demand Full Investigation into Her Death in Ethiopian Prison- Dabiri-Erewa
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The Nigerian Mission in Ethiopia will demand full investigation into the circumstances that led to the death.of a Nigerian, Chizoba Favor Eze ,in Ethiopian Prison.
Abike-Dabiri
Reacting to the reported death of Chizobia Eze, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/ CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) said the Commission is in contact with the Nigerian Mission in Ethiopia and the
circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident will be thoroughly looked into.
She expressed concern over the reported conditions of some Nigerians, serving various jail terms in Ethiopia, most of whom were drug related.
She also said the Nigerian Mission in Ethiopia has proposed an MOU from the Nigerian Correctional Service on transfer of sentenced persons to Nigeria with the Ethiopian authorities to complete their respective jail terms in Nigeria, and are awaiting a response from Ethiopia , adding that though Ethiopia had granted an amnesty to Nigerian Prisoners in 2019 , a number of them still found their way back to the country and allegedly still committed the same drug related crimes and were re- arrested.
The NIDCOM boss sent her deepest condolences to the family of Chizoba,
who was said to have died in Kaliti Prison , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on sunday March 12, 2023 following an alleged physical aggression.
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