The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has advised the Nigerian Army to transition from treating data management as a routine record-keeping exercise to utilizing it as a strategic framework for military intelligence, emphasizing that actionable insights derived from data will dictate operational advantage in modern warfare.
The charge was delivered by the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, during a keynote presentation titled “From Data to Decision Advantage: Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Warfare.”
The event, a Data Management and Record-Keeping Seminar, was organized by the Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary in Abuja.
Speaking to senior military personnel and stakeholders, Inuwa stressed that structured data management provides value far beyond traditional administrative filing, adding that when properly processed and evaluated, data directly enhances battlefield visibility, operational efficiency, and long-term command planning.
The NITDA chief urged the armed forces to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into both tactical and strategic decision-making tiers, explaining that AI-driven predictive tools drastically enhance decision speed and accuracy in high-stakes operational environments.
“Globally, the defense 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.
Today, we can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) 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.
So, it is important to rethink the way we use technology to transform our institutions. To transform an organization, you need to take cognisance of the people, the process, and the proper technology to adopt,” Abdullahi said.
Addressing systemic dependencies, the Director General highlighted the need for the Nigerian military to establish sovereign defence digital infrastructure, including dedicated military-grade data centres.