TECHDIGEST – The Image Merchants Promotion (IMPR) Limited, publishers of PRNigeria in collaboration with The Media Today (TMT) on Wednesday, unveiled a book on the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Gen. Lucky Irabor.

The 119-paged book, whose blurb was written by Senator Kashin Shettima, a former Borno State Governor, is titled “Gen LEO Irabor: The Pearl of Defence.”

The book, published to commemorate the first-year anniversary of Irabor as Nigeria’s Defence Chief, was authored by Mahmud Abdulsalam, an Assistant Editor with PRNigeria.

“Gen LEO Irabor: The Pearl of Defence,” contains 33 articles under six (6) chapters, namely: Operations, Stakeholders, Infrastructure, Synergy, Human Capital and Communication.

The book is an effort to chronicle the policy initiatives and key strategic activities that Gen. Leo Irabor has launched, or carried out since he assumed office as the Chief of Defence Staff.

The publication was officially unveiled by Gen. Irabor and assisted by top military officers and editors at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in Abuja.

It was during the ‘Chief of Defence Staff Parley with Editors and Media Executives,’ where the publisher of PRNigeria, Mr. Yushau Shuaib as a Guest Speaker spoke on “Fake News, Fack-Check and National Security.”

The parley themed, “The Role of Editors in National Security and Conflict Sensitive Communication,” was well-attended by publishers, editors and bureau chiefs of various media organisations, in the country.

Some illustrious media personalities and veterans were also honoured with special awards, at the event organized by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in collaboration with The Media Today (TMT) International.

Explaining the idea behind the book, Barrister Sunny Charles Odenigbo, the Chief Executive Officer of TMT, disclosed that the CDS was ‘deliberately’ not informed about the publication because it was planned to be a ‘surprise gift’ for him, as he marks a year in office.

He said “Gen LEO Irabor: The Pearl of Defence,” so far remains the first and only bold attempt to dispassionately chronicle, in an in-depth, appealing and elaborate manner, the military strategies and policy reforms formulated by the CDS to add value to Nigeria’s security and defence architecture.

Added Odenigbo: “The highpoint of Gen. Irabor’s leadership, as encapsulated in this intellectually-enriching and mind-engaging book, is building synergy, partnerships and collaborations with relevant stakeholders in the country, and even foreign militaries like the California National Guards, among others.

“The author has done the Nigerian military hierarchy a great favour, by taking up the job of being its publicist: one that has breathtakingly showcased the outstanding efforts and contributions of not only their leader (in this case, Gen. Irabor), but the entire members of the Armed Forces in tackling the security woes bedevilling the nation.”

In the blurb to the book, Senator Kashim Shettima states that “A thorough bred professional, Gen Irabor is a personification of positive traits in the Nigerian military, Verily, he is an intellectual of uncommon courage and sagacity”

Earlier in his keynote address, Gen. Irabor, underscored the need for the media, particularly publishers and editors, to forge and strengthen partnerships with the military, as part of measures to safeguard national security and assist the Nigerian Armed Forces to tackle lingering security threats.

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TECH DIGEST – Governments around the world are developing integrated frameworks for the adoption and deployment of information and communications technology (ICT) in their national security architectures.

Today, technology is playing a significant role in the operations of various security/defence organisations in advanced economies such as the United States of America, Russia, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and other emerging technology-driven countries.

Specifically, Artificial intelligence (AI) is a wide-ranging field of technology with significant potentials for national security, and many nations are developing AI applications for a range of military functions.

Military services have started incorporating AI and Robotics into semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles, including fighter aircrafts, drones, ground vehicles and naval vessels.

Also, the intelligence communities in a host of the mentioned countries have several ongoing projects to incorporate AI algorithms and computer vision into intelligence collection cells that would automatically sift through drone footage for actionable information.
Such AI applications are similar to those for commercial semi-autonomous vehicles, which use AI technologies to identify the environment, recognize obstacles, combine sensor data, plan navigation, and also communicate with other vehicles.

Artificial Intelligence is a branch of computer science concerned with building smart machines capable of performing tasks that usually require human intelligence. It describes any task performed by a machine that demonstrates behaviours associated with human intelligence. These include planning, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, knowledge representation, perception, motion, and some minimal level of social intelligence and creativity.

Communications, healthcare, disease control, education, agriculture, transportation (autonomous vehicles), space exploration, science, and entertainment are among those areas already benefiting from AI.

Nigeria’s defence/security (military, paramilitary and intelligence) services have been stretched beyond their traditional capacity as they grapple with seemingly unending insecurity across all parts of the country.

Government and citizens acknowledge that banditry, kidnapping, militancy, the Boko Haram insurgency, and other sundry criminalities have overstretched the defence/security forces in terms of personnel, logistics, and even funding.
Stakeholders in the Nigeria Project are increasingly pointing in the direction of technology as the next available option to help reduce the scourge of insecurity and its attendant implications.
In recognition of this reality, the Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (rtd) has disclosed Nigeria’s readiness to adopt globally acceptable cutting-edge technologies in the management of the nation’s security and defence architecture.

Speaking at a lecture titled, “Defence Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Nigeria: Ministry of Defence in Perspective”, Magashi said the Federal Government has keyed into technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to defeat all security threats in the country.

Recently, the Director-General of National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa urged the Nigerian Army to embrace and adopt technology for enhanced national security.

This was during a visit by the Chief of Defence Communications, Major-General Elvis Njoku, who said the new Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor directed defence institutions to collaborate with ICT related public institutions for the purpose of tackling contemporary security challenges.

He admitted that the use of technology is a force multiplier that will impact positively in Nigeria’s military operations and expressed confidence that the collaboration with NITDA would help them in achieving their mandate.

Majority of stakeholders believe that technology-driven surveillance and intelligence gathering costs less in terms of men and logistics. And Nigeria’s indigenous technology community could offer digital solutions to our nation’s security woes.

A case in point is the specialized Carbon Emission Detection (CED) tracker developed by an Ibadan, Oyo State-based indigenous AI technology firm, Robotic and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN).

Founder of the firm, Olusola Ayoola said the CED tracker has the capacity to track and locate kidnappers, bandits and other criminal elements inside caves and forested areas.

Ayoola explained that the specialized tracker uses carbon emission sensors to detect carbon dioxide emitted by humans as they move from one location to another within any terrain. This he said makes it difficult for the kidnappers to hide their location.

With the potential to become a game-changer in the fight against kidnapping and banditry, the developer of the CED tracker is awaiting the approval of defence/security authorities to conduct a test and possible deployment of the technology.

As it is, technology could ease the huge burden on security personnel, especially in the area of surveillance and intelligence gathering, while also freeing the essential manpower needed in combat operations.

To this end, the National Centre Artificial Intelligence and Robotics offers a genuine environment for indigenous AI technology talents and defence/security experts to undertake joint research into AI technologies for national security.

It is incumbent on the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, as well as Ministry of Defence, to create suitable platforms to foster trustworthy collaborations between the public and private technology community and civil society organisations in the country.
Government at all levels, private and other key stakeholders in the technology ecosystem are expected to respond more responsibly and effectively to the unique opportunities that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could bring to Nigeria’s security administration.

Certainly, the impact of Artificial Intelligence technology in national security can only be determined by the extent to which developers and security agencies are able to tap into its strengths and identify emerging options to limit likely vulnerabilities.

Inyene Ibanga is Managing Editor TechDigest writes from Wuye District, Abuja.

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