The Chairman of Geometric Power, Professor Bart Nnaji, has told Nigerian youths that they could set themselves on the path of prosperity by leveraging on the great opportunity offered by artificial intelligence (AI) to set up lucrative businesses without huge capital. 

Nnaji, who is a former Minister of Science and Technology and also Minister of Power, said this yesterday at a technology festival in Enugu that was dominated by the youth. 

He cited the example of two young men, aged 21 and 22, who are building drones in Abuja and selling them to Nigerian firms and those in Ghana and Slovakia.

He said: “Their case should tell you that there is nothing you set your mind to achieve that you can’t succeed in doing.”

Nnaji, a former distinguished professor of robotics and artificial intelligence in top American universities before returning to Nigeria in 2004 to set up Geometric Power Limited, said that Geometric Power has decided to work with these youths in a close partnership.

He advised the youth to maintain absolute integrity in all their dealings because with trust, they would go far in life.

 “If you have a large stock of values like trust and integrity, coupled with job knowledge and you are focused, not even the sky will be your limit,” Nnaji said.

He shared the story of his rise as an internationally acclaimed engineering researcher in the United States with the audience, including how he led a consortium of American universities to establish the United States National Science Foundation-funded e-Design Centre of Excellence, which reduced drastically the time it took organisations like Boeing, the American Army, the Department of Defence, Ford and 23 others to test their new products.

He also disclosed how he led United States researchers to work with European scientists for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), “to inspire the young people to know that you can achieve a lot whether you are a Nigerian, African, White, or Asian, male or female.”

He said he returned home 21 years ago to help solve a major infrastructural problem that has been paralysing Nigeria’s rapid development, and expressed gratitude to the federal government that allowed him to build a power plant and an electricity distribution company for nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia State even when the power generation, transmission and distribution were exclusive preserve of the federal government. 

“Ours is the only electricity distribution company in Nigeria with an embedded power generation firm,” he remarked.

He praised the Enugu State Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Lawrence Ezeh, for organising the annual festival and Governor Peter Mbah for giving him a free hand to run the ministry.

He said: “Governor Mbah also deserves commendation for finishing spectacularly the 5,000-capacity Enugu State International Convention Centre” which was abandoned almost two decades ago.