Artificial Intelligence and Teacher Education in Nigeria: Transforming Pedagogy, Policy, and Practice

While artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping teacher education globally, a critical disconnect persists between top-down AI policy mandates and the ground-level pedagogical realities of Nigerian Colleges of Education. This paper contends that although initiatives such as the Naija Teacher AI programme demonstrate considerable promise, the existing literature inadequately addresses the systemic tension between technological capability and Nigeria's socio-infrastructural constraints. Employing a qualitative conceptual analysis and thematic synthesis of recent Nigerian educational frameworks including the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) minimum standards and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) policy reports this study examines AI integration through a dual-lens framework that simultaneously considers technological affordances and sociological imperatives. The analysis reveals that AI offers transformative potential for personalizing pre-service teacher preparation, scaling professional development, and enhancing curriculum relevance; however, persistent infrastructure deficits, digital literacy gaps, and ethical ambiguities constitute significant barriers. To bridge this divide, the paper proposes the Nigerian AI-Teacher Matrix, a three-tiered conceptual model comprising (1) core AI literacy for pre-service educators, (2) infrastructure-adaptive deployment of low-bandwidth tools, and (3) public-private policy alignment for sustained funding. The argument posits that successful AI integration demands a deliberate, context-sensitive strategy that harmonizes technological progress with social realities, prioritizes infrastructure and human development, and ensures AI functions as an instrument of empowerment rather than exclusion. Ultimately, the paper underscores that AI can transform teacher education into a learner-centred system that equips Nigerian teachers to thrive in digital classrooms while safeguarding cultural relevance and human values.