Former Minister for Information & Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has declared Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an inevitability in today’s world.
He has also cautioned the media and the academia however, of discretion while applying the AI technology
The former Minister made the admonitions yesterday as a guest lecturer of the maiden Public Lecture of Caleb University, held at the institution’s campus at Imota, Ikorodu Lagos.
Speaking on a theme of contemporary journalistic relevance: “Fake News, Disinformation And Artificial Intelligence: Defending Truth And Public Interest In The Digital Age”, Mohammed advised universities to become centres, not merely of knowledge production, but of information resilience.
Universities, he said, should teach their wards to be discretionary in accepting and using information that flood their way
Rather than swallowing such information whole, they should ask critical questions that could help extract safe answers
On the side of the media, the guest lecturer declared that the journalist of the future must not merely be a reporter, but also a verifier of information.
“In an environment saturated with synthetic content, verification becomes journalism ‘s competitive advantage ‘, he declared.
READ ALAO: Caleb University Partners NIJ, University of Cambridge, Others On Journalism, HR Capacity Trainings
According to him, “UNESCO’s work on journalism, disinformation and media and information literacy similarly emphasises critical thinking, fact-checking and the verification of content circulating on social media”.
Submitting that artificial intelligence itself is not an enemy, he said the problem is in the use.
“AI can assist journalists in analysing large quantities of information.
“It can help researchers identify patterns and assist fact-checkers.
“It can translate information into multiple languages, help governments communicate more efficiently and support students in learning “.
One of the questions to ask, he said, is, how to govern, deploy and use AI responsibly.
In a welcome address earlier, the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Olalekan Asikhia said the public lecture had given the university the opportunity to formally open its doors to public conversation about problems facing the nation.
“A university that serves only its enrolled students has done half its work”, hence the choice of a topic that addresses issues bothering the larger society.
Justifying the topic, the vice chancellor submitted that evidences on ground left them with no choice:
“Consider how quickly Nigerians are coming online.
” In August 2025, the Nigerian Communications Commission recorded 140.3 million active internet subscriptions. By July 2026, that figure stood at 157.7 million.
“More than 17 million subscriptions were added in under a year. DataReportal estimates that Nigeria had 61.4 million social media user identities in October 2026.
” Every one of those connections is a door through which information enters a home, and so is false information”, Asikhia stated, adding that Artificial intelligence has added a new layer to the problem.
READ ALSO: ‘I Was Cheating On My Husband With His Own Friend And He Caught Me. How Can I..’
Tools that write, draw and imitate voices now sit on almost every smartphone, and Nigerians have already seen deepfake videos of well-known personalities used in fraudulent online campaigns to take people’s savings.
“What this means for our country, and what should be done about it, is the question our Guest Lecturer has come to address. I will leave the substance to him”, Professor Asikhia said.
Cami Ezenwa is a Writer, Editor, Publicist, Biographer and Journalism Trainer
He has worked with the Daily Times, Daily Independent, Financial Standard and Business Television to mention some.
His ongoing Corporate Communications Master Class training series equips learners with credible hands-on skills for effective Media Relations, Public Communications & Corporate Affairs amongst others.
He can be contacted via 09165809519 or 08180335778.
Stay informed with the latest news, breaking stories and important updates. Follow THE EAGLE NEWS MEDIA WhatsApp Channel.
Join Our WhatsApp Channel