2027: ‘AI Will Be My Finance Minister, Drones Will Defend Nigeria’ – Sowore

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has declared that if elected President in 2027, he would deploy artificial intelligence (AI) to manage the nation’s finances and rely heavily on advanced drone technology to transform Nigeria’s security architecture.

Speaking with Lucky Udu in a viral video, Sowore explained that his proposed administration would be built around the Fourth Industrial Revolution, leveraging artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, advanced computing and decentralised financial systems to modernise governance and reduce corruption.

According to him, AI would not merely serve as an advisory tool but would effectively function as the country’s “Minister of Finance” by automating financial management, eliminating waste and reducing political interference.

He argued that AI-powered systems could forecast revenues and expenditures, detect fraudulent transactions, prevent duplicate payments to contractors and improve transparency in government spending.

Sowore said the adoption of AI would significantly reduce bureaucracy and the influence of political patronage in public finance.

“We’ll make it 70 per cent technology and 30 per cent human involvement,” he said, adding that policy decisions would still require limited human oversight while routine financial administration would be largely automated.

He also proposed integrating blockchain technology into government payment systems, saying the combination of AI and blockchain would make financial transactions more transparent and drastically reduce opportunities for corruption.

The AAC candidate further suggested that AI could automate salary payments, retirement processing and payroll management across the public service, while also assisting the government in long-term economic planning.

Responding to concerns over accountability should an AI system make costly mistakes, Sowore said ultimate responsibility would remain with the President and a specialised office within the Presidency would oversee the technology’s operations.

He cited examples of AI detecting suspicious financial transactions within minutes, arguing that automated systems could expose fraud much faster than conventional auditing processes.

Beyond finance, Sowore described artificial intelligence as a tool capable of transforming healthcare, education, agriculture, food security and environmental sustainability.

He predicted that emerging technologies would eventually reshape transportation, with air taxis becoming common in the coming decades.

On national security, Sowore defended his proposal that a drone would symbolically serve as his “Minister of Defence,” saying the statement was intended to highlight the growing importance of unmanned technology in modern warfare.

He criticised proposals to fence Nigeria’s borders, arguing that long-endurance surveillance drones equipped with infrared sensors would be far more effective in monitoring illegal border crossings, detecting terrorist movements and combating smuggling.

According to him, advanced military drones could provide real-time intelligence, deliver supplies to troops, evacuate stranded soldiers and, where authorised, engage hostile targets in difficult terrain.

He also suggested that drone technology could improve emergency medical services by transporting blood and medical supplies to remote locations.

Sowore maintained that embracing emerging technologies is essential if Nigeria is to avoid missing another global technological revolution, insisting that AI and automation would create new economic opportunities while improving citizens’ quality of life.