From Cyriacus Nnaji, Lagos
Prof. Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU) and other stakeholders have called for encouragement of Artificial Intelligence-driven Innovation and Research.
This was experts’ position at the opening ceremony of the Lagos State University’s 8th LASU Research and Innovation Fair, which took place at the Makanjuola Lecture Theatre at the LASU Mami campus at Ojo, Lagos on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
The two-day Fair brought together Researchers, academics, students, innovators, policymakers and industry stakeholders, with discussions centering on how AI can be responsibly harnessed to transform critical sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, energy, education, security and public policy.
Addressing the gathering, Prof Olatunji-Bello stated that the Fair has become one of the University’s defining platforms for bringing scholarship, invention, enterprise and public purpose into the same conversation. She said for LASU, this means asking how our research can use AI to distinctly solve Nigerian problems. “It has strengthened LASU’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation and development, while giving our researchers and innovators a platform to move ideas into society. It is a tradition that my administration inherited and has deliberately continued to build upon over the last five years.”
Speaking on the theme of the 2026 Fair, the Vice Chancellor stated that Artificial Intelligence is already altering how knowledge is produced, how services are delivered and how economies compete. “For Nigeria, the question is not whether we will engage with this transformation, but whether we will shape it responsibly and purposefully.
“For LASU, this means going beyond adopting AI as a tool. It means asking how our research can use it to solve distinctly Nigerian problems; how our scholars can work across disciplines; how our students can participate meaningfully in an AI-enabled economy; and how partnerships with government and industry can take research from conception to application. The sub-themes before us—ethics in teaching and research, applications in agriculture, healthcare, energy and human resources, and the use of AI in security, safety and policy—therefore carry both intellectual and practical significance.”
Being the fifth and final Research and Innovation Fair to be organised under her administration, she said “I am conscious that such milestones are never the work of one office or one individual. I therefore acknowledge, with sincere gratitude, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, SAN, and his executive team for their consistent support over the last five years. I also commend the Central Planning Committee, ably led by Prof. Adejuwon A. Adeneye, Director, LASU Directorate of Research Management and Innovation, and every researcher and innovator whose work gives the Fair its substance.”
A Guest Speaker, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS, Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, followed with her lecture titled “Opportunities, Risks, and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Research.” She urged that Nigeria must create the kind of AI needed to solve its own problems, warning against ceding human reasoning to machines. “Using AI without verifying the information is a very dangerous thing as AI hallucinates,” she cautioned. Ogunsola highlighted risks such as widening the data divide, reduced cognitive skills, job displacement, and loss of academic integrity. At the same time, she pointed to opportunities like personalized learning, multilingual support, and freeing teachers’ time, but insisted that governance structures and ethical safeguards must be in place. Her recommendations urged universities to integrate AI thoughtfully, ensuring it enhances learning without eroding the intellectual struggle that defines education.
Professor Ogunsola also highlighted the opportunities of AI in education sector.
On the danger of using AI without verification, she said, ”Using AI without verifying the information is a very dangerous thing as AI hallucinates.”
She highlighted further risks such as widening data divide, reduced cognitive skills, job displacement, job losses, among others.
Professor Ogunsola also spoke on the ethical considerations around AI. She urged that the nation should create the kind of AI needed to solve local problems.
On her part while delivering the opening speech on behalf of the Chairman of the Occasion, Mr. Babatunde J.K. Ogala, SAN, OFR, Pro‑Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Mrs. Taiwo Atolagbe described the gathering as a “momentous intellectual convergence.” Speaking in his stead, she praised Lagos State University’s Vice Chancellor, Distinguished Professor Ibiyemi I. Olatunji‑Bello, mni, NPOM, the Chief Host of the Fair, for her “stellar leadership” that has made research and innovation a permanent fixture in the university’s calendar. She also commended the Central Planning Committee led by Professor Adejuwon A. Adeneye for months of hard work that produced the platform for this year’s event. The Chairman’s message emphasized that LASU continues to position itself at the cutting edge of national progress by aligning academic inquiry with the transformative power of artificial intelligence to solve real‑world problems.
