We often hear that technology is the foundation of civilisation, but what is technology? Technology is mainly organised practical knowledge. In this modern era, this knowledge is produced and organised based on scientific principles. These scientific principles have so far been the most robust way to discover knowledge and propagate technology.
Essentially, the scientific method lets us know that the knowledge is right and thus can be relied upon. This feature of reliability of the scientific method thus allows us to build upon the knowledge as solid foundations and aggregate over time very complex concepts that seem like magic to the layman. It is important for us to understand that modern technology can provide consistent, robust solutions that will help tackle society¼s problems. Bringing this to the Nigerian context, it is that the best way to leverage this technology in the medium and long term is to own it and aim to develop internal capabilities to handle it., we understand technology from first principles and we become original authors and not just recipients and buyers of technology.
Given the achievements of Nigerians outside the country, the task of developing internal capacities is very possible. By developing internal capabilities, I would love to see a Nigeria that defines itself as scientific. I would love to see a Nigeria in which scientific development is just one more of the great things we are known for. I would love to see a Nigeria where the average citizens can clearly see themselves become scientists, engineers, biologists that invent and contribute original content, who dare to lead and challenge more advanced countries in the science field. Right now, science and technology have a reputation in Nigeria that we need to change. On the international stage, we have proven that the African is capable of self-rule and developing technology. We have already proven that Africans are capable of achieving the highest standards of education.
This will enable us take our rightful place among the respected civilisations. The benefits of unlocking our potential in technology are enormous. Thus, I am proposing a vision for Nigeria to be the first technologically developed black nation. Under this vision, religion, ethnicity, and anything else that separates us do not matter. All that matters is progress, practical justice and allegiance to this collective vision.
For this vision to come true, we need to develop home-based technology. For Nigeria to become the first developed black nation, we need a scientific revolution. By scientific revolution, I mean we need to become a society guided by reason and evidence. Since we are a deeply religious nation, I have to mention that we do not necessarily need religion in a way that introduces dogma, narrow-mindedness, and a disregard for reason and common sense.
We use religion in a very illogical way that is guided more by wishful thinking than by reality. While religion can provide solace and comfort, it is sometimes used as a form of euphemism allowing us to make sense of the miracles of the world. At the very least, even though one may disagree with my view on the way we use religion, it should be clear that we need to put aside our religious differences and transit from believing in myths to working with facts and reason. Often, being religious in this clime is guided by fear of damnation, but this world does not belong to timid souls.
Instead, we need to be guided by a positive force, truth based on evidence. With truth, we see that regardless of whether there is heaven, hell or nirvana, humans have intrinsic dignity which when respected unlocks their full potential for the benefit of all. So, human rights and many other values monopolised by religion are fundamental human values regardless of religion. By realising this, we remove dogma when relating to our fellow man. We need to be courageous enough to see reality as it really is and not as we wish it to be, and the scientific method can help us in establishing truths. If it doesn’t pass, we refine the assumptions we made about reality and learn from the programme¼s outcomes in a consistent and continuous manner until we get it right.
We must perceive the world and reality clearly, and our foundation should be the truth. Furthermore, we need to choose, choose because it is entirely up to us Nigerians to prioritise the advancement of our civilisation. Our values need to be that we are for truth and science. We need to give ourselves permission to be a great nation. I firmly believe that we Nigerians are not stupid but are simply misdirected in our value system. If we are being truthful, we will realise that it is not only our leaders who are responsible for the current state of affairs.
We too, who remain silent and docile, are responsible, if not more so. By remaining silent, we give permission to the unjust. If we are living by the truth, we will realise that justice, peace, zero tolerance for tribalism, intolerance of corruption, hard work, humility all pay good dividends. These are not just theoretical concepts, they work. The west is not made up of magical beings; they are simply consistent practitioners and disciples of these values. The phenomenal transformation of Singapore to one of the greatest countries in the world even though they have no natural resource, wasn’t done by magical beings. They chose to believe in and abide by the principles of freedom, rule of law, and evidence-based governance.
Let our problem be about achieving near zero per cent malaria outbreak. Let our challenge be at a higher level than mere survival. We need to choose not to be satisfied with the status quo, even though we complain a lot. This is because we mostly do nothing about the status quo, especially those with the ability to make a difference. Those who are in the position to affect changes are for the most part not doing so. They are saying, “my core value is my nonguaranteed personal security and comfort over the chance of lifting up civilisation”.
I specifically mentioned that personal security is non-guaranteed because all the money in the world will not save a rich man who travels by road from an oil tanker that explodes on the high way, simply because due diligence was not taken by the driver of the tanker. Wealth will not save the rich and powerful from a random explosion by suicide bombers. A part of the scientific revolution I am enthusiastic about is AI and Robotics because it is very achievable since it does not rely on too much infrastructure. At the bare minimum, one only needs a computer, internet, and electricity.
By robotics, I am referring to the software aspect of Robotics, which includes computer vision, natural language processing, and software process automation. I will use AI alone to refer to both AI and software-based robotics. AI has immerse capabilities to transform across sectors. AI can help in scheduling power load distribution optimally across homes. It can revolutionise marketing, logistics, insurance, legal systems, and power fraud detection. Its benefits are monumental and would help make society run more efficiently.
The first trillion dollar companies in the world became so because of the power of AI. Again as already mentioned, our best approach in leveraging this opportunity is to develop our own internal capabilities. It is of paramount importance for Nigeria to prioritise developing internal capabilities in these technologies if we are to develop. We can not and must not rely on external technology even though these technologies may seem quicker to deploy. The cost of depending on external technologies is higher in the medium and long run and we must discourage the approach.
AI is an interesting field because its implementation depends on local knowledge making Nigerians the perfect candidates to develop the country’s own solution. With the scientific approach already highlighted, we Africans can and ought to become leaders in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
- Dr. Ezeh, a Nigerian, is an expert in artificialintelligence and robotics.
