As Nigeria embraces the digital economy, President Bola Tinubu’s declaration that “data is Nigeria’s new oil” signals a national shift toward leveraging information as a strategic resource for growth, governance, and innovation.

At the forefront of this transformation is Dr. Adetokunbo Ajibola, a respected global expert in enterprise data governance and quality, and a prominent voice in Africa’s growing data movement.

Widely known as the data evangelist, Dr. Ajibola brings over two decades of experience spanning the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His influence is not only professional but also diplomatic, serving as an ECOWAS Council Ambassador, where he champions innovation, inclusion, and excellence through data-driven initiatives.

But beyond accolades and titles, Dr. Ajibola is deeply committed to human capital development.

Through his organisation, Berkeley Data Strategists, he has trained and mentored nearly 5,000 professionals many of them Nigerians in the diaspora—preparing them for high-impact roles in data governance, data quality, metadata management, and analytics enablement.

His work extends into institutional transformation. In Nigeria, Dr. Ajibola played a pivotal role in enhancing First Bank’s Data Governance and Quality framework by delivering the globally recognised Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) training.

This initiative aligned the bank with international best practices and helped embed a culture of data trust and stewardship across the enterprise.

Now, as the Nigerian government begins to frame data as a national asset with strategic economic and security value, Dr. Ajibola stands ready to support a unified data vision one that empowers ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to build resilience and unlock value across sectors such as finance, oil & gas, health, agriculture, and telecommunications.

“Data is more than a byproduct of operations,” Dr. Ajibola says. “It’s a strategic asset. With the right stewardship, Nigeria can lead Africa in building a data-driven public sector, supported by a private sector that thrives on trust, transparency, and transformation.”

As Nigeria positions itself to compete in the global data economy, voices like Dr. Ajibola’s offer both expertise and a roadmap.

His people-first approach and deep technical knowledge are laying the foundation for a future where data not only fuels industries but empowers lives.

From Lagos to London and across Africa, Dr. Adetokunbo Ajibola is not just observing Nigeria’s data revolution; he’s helping lead it.