The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has urged the Nigerian Army to move beyond viewing data management as a mere record-keeping exercise and leverage data as a strategic asset for intelligence gathering, operational planning and decision-making.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, gave the charge while delivering a keynote address titled, “From Data to Decision Advantage: Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Warfare,” at a Data Management and Record-Keeping Seminar organised by the Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary in Abuja.
Abdullahi said the effective management and analysis of data could provide the military with valuable intelligence capable of improving operational effectiveness and strengthening decision-making.
According to him, the rapid evolution of technology has transformed the global defence landscape, making it imperative for military institutions to rethink how they collect, manage and deploy data.
“Globally, the defence industry is changing due to the disruptive power of technology. So, we need to look beyond just using data for record-keeping to start thinking of using data management for intelligence and strategic military operations,” he said.
The NITDA boss urged the Nigerian Army to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a strategic and tactical tool for defence operations, noting that AI could enhance the speed, accuracy and effectiveness of military decision-making.
He said AI could be deployed to collate, analyse and verify large volumes of data and subsequently transform them into actionable intelligence for commanders and field personnel.
“Today, we can use Artificial Intelligence to help us collate, analyse, verify and apply data in our military operations. We can integrate AI to help transform data into strategic and tactical information for decision-making,” Abdullahi said.
He further stressed that technology adoption should be treated as a core component of national defence preparedness rather than a peripheral modernisation effort.
According to him, successful digital transformation requires institutions to pay equal attention to their people, processes and technology.
“So, it is important to rethink the way we use technology to transform our institutions. To transform an organisation, you need to take cognisance of the people, the process, and the proper technology to adopt,” he said.
Abdullahi also called on the Nigerian Army to develop dedicated digital infrastructure and data centres capable of supporting its defence and security operations.
He noted that greater collaboration between the military, government agencies and Nigeria’s indigenous technology ecosystem would be critical to developing home-grown defence technologies and reducing reliance on external capabilities.
“The Nigerian Army has to consider ways of collaborating with other government agencies and the indigenous tech innovation ecosystem to build defence technology that can help us defend our nation,” he said.
The NITDA Director-General also underscored the importance of human capacity development, urging the military to strengthen the digital skills of its personnel to enable them to effectively deploy emerging technologies, particularly data analytics and AI.
He said developing a robust digital transformation skill set within the armed forces was essential to maximising the tactical and operational benefits of emerging technologies.
Abdullahi disclosed that NITDA would provide training and capacity-building initiatives to equip military personnel with relevant digital skills required to operate effectively in an increasingly data- and AI-driven defence environment.
He reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to supporting the Nigerian military and other critical national institutions in deploying technology to strengthen national security and defence readiness.
