The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund,TETFund, Sonny Echono has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Nigerian Army in promoting education, security, and technological advancement in Nigeria.
Echono made this known during a courtesy visit to the Army Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, where he stressed the importance of sustained cooperation between TETFund and the military in fostering a secure environment for educational institutions and national development.
According to him, the visit was also an opportunity to appreciate the military’s strategic role in safeguarding the nation and supporting the growth of the education sector.
He noted that beyond its traditional security responsibilities, the military has emerged as a key contributor to educational development and technological innovation in the country.
“We also want to underscore the role the military is playing in our education sector. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with the military,” Echono said.
The TETFund boss highlighted the growing importance of emerging technologies and expressed the agency’s readiness to explore innovative areas being driven by the Armed Forces.
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“As technology advances, a lot of technological innovations are being carried out by the military, and we are looking forward to exploring areas such as robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and other advancements being pioneered by the military,” he added.
Echono further assured the Nigerian Army of TETFund’s continued support in areas aligned with national development priorities.
“We want to reiterate our assurances that we will continue to support the Armed Forces in every way possible,” he said.
In his response, the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, commended TETFund for its support to the Nigerian Army School of Engineering in Makurdi and the Nigerian Army University in Biu.
Shaibu welcomed the opportunity to strengthen ties between both institutions.
“I am most grateful for this opportunity to strengthen collaboration with TETFund,” he said.
The Army Chief disclosed that the Nigerian Army is intensifying efforts in modern warfare capabilities, particularly in drone technology and armament development, but noted that inadequate manpower remains a major challenge.
“We are pushing more in the area of drone warfare and armament development, and we are also looking at sponsoring children to become pioneers in these areas, but the requisite manpower is lacking. So we are seeking your help in that area,” he stated.
He explained that TETFund’s support in intellectual and human capital development would be critical to building indigenous capacity in military technology and defence production.
Shaibu also stressed the need for Nigeria to reduce dependence on imported military hardware through local production and innovation.
“The more we continue importing arms, it will remain difficult for us until we begin producing our own,” he said.
He further praised TETFund for its contributions to transforming Nigeria’s education sector and underscored the importance of sustained investment in human capital development.
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