Every year on September 8th, the world observes International Literacy Day, a UNESCO-declared event since 1966. In Nigeria, this day is marked with goodwill messages, panel discussions, and reading sessions. However, the celebration often ends with mere ceremony, with little attention paid to the issue throughout the rest of the year. This year's observance has sparked a deeper reflection on what literacy means for a generation that is increasingly dependent on technology.
The PEN Nigeria Young Writers Committee has taken a closer look at the issue of literacy in the age of technology. Awareness Temitope Timothy, founder of the Awareness Literary Society, argues that each generation has its own literacy divide. For previous generations, it was about access to formal education or computer literacy. For the current generation, the divide has shifted to Artificial Intelligence. Nigeria's struggles with stability across various development indexes are closely tied to literacy, with many issues at the core of the country's challenges.
The relationship between Nigerians and the tools shaping their minds is fraught with ignorance about the dangers of unethical data harvesting and misinformation. As civilizations transition from offline to online, little attention is paid to cultivating the discernment necessary to navigate this shift. The rapid progression from the internet to AI has led to data being mined like gold, digital atrocities emerging like a haze, and fortunes being amassed off the attention and information people freely surrender.
AI has the potential to enhance understanding, but it also poses a threat if not used responsibly. The tool can either accelerate work or silently supplant reasoning faculties. A student who grasps numbers may use a calculator to accelerate their work, but one who never learns to reason mathematically becomes dependent on a machine to think for them. The threat of AI lies not in the technology itself, but in the tendency to outsource thought processes and become overly dependent.
The systemic erasure of human essence is a troubling aspect of AI. Forceful colonialism may be history, but the glitz surrounding AI has subtly opened doors without resistance. No invasion has occurred; people have opened the gates themselves, logins in hand, unread terms and conditions, giving up their agency one click at a time. Data has become the new currency of empire, and people are bartering theirs away, hoping to dodge danger.
The new literacy divide concerns who can code, question outputs, trace biases, and recognize when convenience has morphed into control. Literacy Day should inspire not rebellion against technology, but a mental uprising against passive consumption. It calls for educating young Nigerians not only to utilize AI tools but to interrogate them. Critical thinking, not device ownership, must be regarded as the true indicator of digital literacy.
Nigeria must wake up and stop sleeping in the den. No rescues are coming; there will be no ships at the shore this time. Treaties will be inked with terms and conditions, and the country's literacy levels will determine this century's outcome. Literacy is what safeguards self-agency. The nation must choose education and not be trapped in the den.
Key points
- Literacy is crucial for Nigeria's development and must be redefined to include AI literacy.
- The country must educate young people to utilize AI tools and interrogate them.
- Critical thinking is the true indicator of digital literacy, not device ownership.
