Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, has urged global leaders to ensure that humanity—not technology—remains at the center of progress as the world accelerates deeper into the digital era.
Speaking at the ‘Education Above All’ plenary during the 12th World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar, Mrs Tinubu said innovation continues to redefine global interactions and ideas, making it crucial to balance technological growth with human values. Her comments were disclosed in a statement by her media aide, Busola Kokuyi.
Alluding to Qatar’s education success story, the First Lady — who shared the stage with her counterparts from Lebanon and Syria — reaffirmed that no religion prohibits girls from acquiring education, stressing that the Nigerian government is committed to ensuring that every child accesses the transformative power of learning.
“Everything begins with education,” she said. “We are doing everything possible as a government to advance the education sector. Nigeria has a huge human capital resource — that is what we thrive on.”
She praised Nigerian youths for their global achievements across the arts, fashion, film, technology, and agriculture, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu considers innovation and technology foundational to human capital development.
According to her, Nigeria’s rising digital literacy has expanded access and accelerated learning, though it also comes with challenges.
“Our young people are either using it for good or negatively. We believe that by continuing to empower them, they will do better,” she said.
Host of the summit and chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, stressed the need for education systems to transform lives by linking young people to new opportunities.
Other speakers at the global gathering — which recorded over 150,000 participants — highlighted that human beings must remain the center of global transformations. They argued that ethics and human values should guide the use of AI, warning that technological progress without humanity would be meaningless.
The 12th edition of WISE is themed: “Humanity: Human Values at the Heart of Education.”
