Amaechi hosts Safety Awards, as Hon Gumi urges Government to deploy AI in fight against banditry

Honourable (Dr) Abubakar Sulaiman Gumi, honourable member representing the good people of Gummi-Buukkuyum Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, has urged the government of Nigeria to deploy the AI Technology in the fight against banditry in the country.

Gumi was speaking to journalists at the Nigeria Safety and Security Award which took place at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Alausa, Lagos State on Wednesday, April 29, 2025. He maintained that government should tap into the numerous advantages of AI to win the war against banditry in the land.

The event was organized by the Board and Management of the Media Centre for Promotion of Safety Awareness (MCPOSA), publishers of Safety & Security Watch, and the theme “Revolutionizing Health and Safety: The Role of AI and Digitization at Work.”

Speaking on the issue of insecurity in Zamfara State and how AI could be used to fight insecurity, he said, “The best way right now and the cheapest way that we can use to solve insecurity is AI, because now aeroplanes are being flown by AI, that means one person can control aeroplane that can take off from point A and carry out a mission and come back without losing life, we don’t need boots on the ground, boots on the ground is the last thing we need to do. Now with AI, you can send out drones to these forests where these bandits are and anybody carrying a gun, the AI can destroy that person or the camp. We should not be having soldiers in the bush, if we adopt AI properly, I am telling you, within three, four months, we can eliminate these bandits.”

He said Zamfara State like every other state in Nigeria has embraced AI, “Zamfara State like every other state in Nigeria has embraced AI, of course, Lagos is well ahead of every other states, followed by others like Rivers, Kano, so, in Zamfara we are also trying to adopt what our big brothers and bigger states are doing, but it is a gradual process.”

On how Nigerian youths can be encouraged to embrace safety in the use of AI, Hon. Gumi called for caution, even as he maintained that the advantages of AI are more that its disadvantages. “Just as the presenters have mentioned the dangers in the AI, I will say, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, because now AI can save a lot of lives, where an aeroplane can take 500 at once, you need AI assistance to take people from point A to B. The world is advancing, it is about size, it is about speed, efficiency; there is no room for error. And human capacity to control those errors is limited, so as we progress, we need AI to help us navigate lots of things.

“For our youths, I think it is good to embrace the new technology, the AI, but we have to be very careful, and we have to channel the knowledge in the right direction. If we use it for criminality you can’t go far with criminality, but if you use it in a positive way, you can advance yourself, the world is now open for endless possibilities, and what we want our youths to do is focus on the good side because it is the good side that is going to last, that will build you and which will make you a useful member of the society,” Gumi averred.

He advised the youths to embrace AI because, according to him, it is the way of the future and that they should use it for good.

Hon. Gumi, who is also the Chairman of the North West Development Commission and former Chairman of the House Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations, also received an Award at the event. In receiving the award he said, “This recognition is a call to do more. We will not relent until every workplace in Nigeria is safe, every professional is accountable, and every law upholds the sanctity of life and dignity of labour.”

Earlier, Dr Chinyere Amaechi, the convener of Nigeria Safety and Security Award, said the event was designed to mark the International Labour Organisation’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work which takes place every April 28, adding that the theme was ILO’s theme but domesticated to suit one’s own country.

Dr. Amaechi said that technology is rapidly transforming workplace health and safety standards. “We must embrace the power of AI and digital tools to build safer work environments and respond effectively to emerging risks.

Dr. Amaechi maintained that AI has come to stay because it has so many advantages. “It impacts on our Jobs, it gives us smart lives. However, we should be cautious while in this AI. This AI, what is it all about? Making life easier for us in so many ways, it is digitization, so it is going places and it is taking over productivity. It is taking over the work place, so this year’s theme is to tell us, teach us, and we rub mind on how we can apply this new trend, AI digitization safely without contributing to hazards.

In all 27 individuals and six corporate organisations were recognised and honoured during the event.