Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The federal government has doused concern that the adoption of AI technology would lead to job losses in the public service.
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, allayed this concern at the International Civil Service Conference 2026, held in Abuja.
Inuwa, who was represented by the Director, Stakeholder Management and Partnership department, Dr. Aristotle Onumo, noted that the AI technology should be viewed as a tool for advancement of productivity rather than a threat to human relevance.
He said, “There is always this fear that AI is coming to take away jobs, especially in the public service. But I want to state clearly that the jobs of people who refuse to upskill themselves may eventually be affected. However, those willing to retrain and adapt will benefit immensely from AI.
“AI has not come to replace people completely. But those who refuse to develop their skills may struggle to fit into the evolving technology ecosystem.”
To address this concern, he said NITDA had commenced agency-wide AI capacity building programmes for all staff members, adding that employees, whose traditional roles were being transformed by automation were being reassigned and redesignated into emerging AI-related functions.
He said NITDA had ensured AI training for all public workers, stressing that those who previously handled manual file operations had now been redesignated as AI assistants and AI administrators.
He explained the importance of maintaining human oversight in AI deployment, warning against the complete removal of human intelligence and accountability from governance systems
On governance and regulation, the NITDA boss urged all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to develop internal AI policies capable of defining clear operational boundaries for the technology, clarifying that government deployment of AI differs significantly from private sector usage because public institutions must bear responsibility for any AI-related failures or ethical breaches.
As part of efforts to deepen digital capacity across government institutions, Inuwa said NITDA was collaborating with the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to train civil servants in digital literacy and AI-related competencies.
He reiterated that the future workforce must embrace continuous learning and adaptability to remain relevant in an increasingly AI-driven world.
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