The President and Chief Executive Officer of the Digital Bridge Institute, Chief David Daser, has said Nigeria cannot overcome its worsening insecurity through military force alone, arguing that science, engineering and technology must become the country’s primary tools for tackling insurgency, banditry and cybercrime.
Daser stated this on Wednesday while delivering the 2026 ANSEN Lecture titled: “Nigeria’s Security Conundrum: Harnessing Science, Engineering and Technological Innovations for Solutions” at the Annual General Meeting, Investiture and Induction Ceremony of the Academy of Natural Science and Engineering in Nigeria, held at the University of Jos.
Daser, who stressed that the country is confronted with multiple and distinct security threats concluded that Nigeria requires technology-driven responses.
“We are not facing one enemy. We are facing several, and each one exists for different reasons. Treating all of them with one solution is like treating different illnesses with the same medicine,” he posited.
According to him, because Nigeria is contending with `”insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder:: conflicts, separatist violence, oil-related crimes and cybercrime”` with different root causes, as such, the response cannot lie only with the use of guns alone,” he advised.
Thus, the DBI chief called for a shift in the nation’s security architecture from reaction to prevention through data and technology.
“The nation’s security architecture must shift from reacting to attacks to preventing them through accurate data, digital identity, early warning systems and intelligent surveillance,”` Daser said.
He noted that technology can equip government with `”real-time information, enable accurate identification of citizens, improve communication, strengthen intelligence gathering and support evidence-based decision-making.”`
The DBI boss also advocated greater investment in Digital Public Infrastructure, which he describes as `”the backbone of modern national security.”`
He noted that an effective National Identity Management System built on `”one person, one identity, one number,”` would `”significantly reduce identity fraud, improve law enforcement and strengthen public trust.”
Daser equally urged the government to deploy Artificial Intelligence to aid security operations, insisting,
`”Government should deploy Artificial Intelligence to analyse security data, detect suspicious patterns, predict attacks before they occur and improve intelligence gathering.”
While recommending block chain technology to secure official records and enhance transparency, he cautioned `”against storing sensitive biometric information directly on block chain platforms.”`
Daser further said expanding telecommunications coverage to rural areas should be treated as a national security priority.
`”Communities without communication infrastructure often become safe havens for criminal groups,”` he argued.
The DBI CEO listed other components of a modern security architecture to include `”CCTV surveillance systems, drones, satellite imagery, ground sensors, gunshot detection technology and integrated command-and-control centres capable of coordinating rapid city responses.”`
The Daser stressed that cybersecurity must be prioritized alongside physical security, warning that `”digital infrastructure is increasingly becoming a target of organized 2l networks.”`
He challenged Nigerian universities to move beyond academic research and commercialize innovations, and invited them to collaborate with DBI through `”innovation sandboxes where ideas could be tested, refined and transformed into practical technologies for national development.”`
Daser also called for innovation management to be made a core discipline and urged the government to `”establish innovation sandboxes that would provide researchers with access to the digital infrastructure needed to develop and test indigenous solutions.”`
He further recommended `”stronger privacy and data protection laws, clearer legal frameworks for the responsible use of surveillance technologies and improved coordination among security agencies.”`
Earlier, the President of ANSEN, Professor Danladi Slim Matawal, challenged Nigerian scientists and engineers `”to lead efforts to address the country’s security, energy, water, environmental, health and economic challenges through research and innovation.”`
He said the academia must `”continue to provide independent scientific advice to the government while strengthening partnerships with academia, industry and international organisations”` and called for greater investment in science education to `”nurture the next generation of innovators.”`
Matawal congratulated the nine newly inducted Fellows, describing their election as recognition of `”outstanding contributions to science and engineering,”` and disclosed that the Academy now has 63 Fellows.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos, Professor Tanko Ishaya, in a goodwill message, urged students and researchers to focus on solving real-life problems.
`”It is not about the grades you obtain. You may graduate with a First Class, but if you cannot solve problems, you may still struggle in today’s competitive world,”` he said.
He insisted that `”Research, innovation and commercialization should no longer be treated as separate activities. They must work together if universities are to contribute meaningfully to national development.”`
Our correspondent reports that the ceremony featured the investiture and induction of nine new Fellows. Tributes were also paid to the late Professor Buba Bajoga, while Professors Shekarau Aku and Suleyman Adeyemi were recognised for their service to the Academy.