The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Nigerian Army in advancing education, security and technological development in the country.

Echono stated this during a courtesy visit to the Army Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

He emphasised the need for sustained partnership between TETFund and the military in ensuring a safer environment for educational institutions and national development.

According to Echono, the visit was also aimed at appreciating the military’s continued strategic role in safeguarding the country and supporting the education sector.

He noted that beyond security operations, the military has increasingly become an important contributor to educational advancement and technological innovation in Nigeria.

“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,” he added.

The TETFund boss emphasised the importance of emerging technologies and expressed the agency’s readiness to explore areas of innovation being driven by the Armed Forces.

“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 said.

Echono further assured the Nigerian Army of TETFund’s commitment to supporting the Armed Forces in areas that align 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.

Responding, the Chief of Army Staff, General Waidi Shaibu, expressed appreciation to the TETFund Executive Secretary for the visit and commended the fund for its support to the Nigeria Army School of Engineering, Makurdi and Nigeria Army University, Biu.

Shaibu welcomed the opportunity to deepen collaboration 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 manpower shortages remain a 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 said.

He stressed that TETFund’s support in intellectual and human capital development would play a vital role in building indigenous capacity in military technology and defence production.

General Shaibu further noted that Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported military hardware underscores the need for local capacity development.

“The more we continue importing arms, it will remain difficult for us until we begin producing our own,” he said.

He commended TETFund for its contributions to transforming Nigeria’s education landscape and emphasised the importance of sustained investment in human capital development.