TETFund boss tasks military on defence research, innovation

THE Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Professor Suleiman Bogoro, has urged the Nigerian Army to intensify research on defence, innovation and technology as part of measures to address the multiple challenges besetting the nation.

He has accordingly inaugurated a 13-man Defence and Security Research and Development Subcommittee to lead efforts on collaborative research in defence and operations.

Speaking during the event at the Nigerian Army headquarters in Abuja, Bogoro noted that the defence and military sectors of any nation could not effectively in the 21st century protect its citizens through any other means than  investing in innovation.

While stressing the importance of research and development, the executive secretary noted that in the past, warfare was on the field, but has now  gone digital and nuclear, requiring injection of time, technology and innovation.

He disclosed that the TETFund Research and Development Standing Committee, which is being chaired by Professor Njiddah Gadzama, has vice chairmen drawn from the industry, academia, and government in line with the triple helix concept.

According to him, the Nigerian academic communities which are natural leaders in research globally, historically have been travelling with one hand for too long, adding that this time they want research to solve problems of Nigeria’s economy, technology and   multiple issues.

Also speaking, the chairman of the TETFund Research and Development’s standing committee, Gadzama, said no country had made it without strong research and development component of the government.

He described the army as a special group he was happy to tag along with in research efforts, adding that the160 members of the standing committee were highly specialised people.

He called on the military to support the committee in actualising its vision of establishing a national research foundation, adding that without security all the 12 groups would not achieve anything.

Responding, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, backed the call for the establishment of a national research and development foundation, pledging that the military would urge its partners to key into the foundation.

Buratai disclosed that the Nigerian Army had been engaged in research and development for a long time, noting that over the years, it had participated in research and development exhibition workshops both at home and abroad.

He called for support for the Nigerian Army Simulation Centre, which he said was making efforts to domesticate some of the training received by officers, stating that developed countries of the world are where they are today because of research and development.

According to him, with research, more jobs would be created and idle youths would be taken off the streets, even as he called on Ministries, Departments and Agencies to key in to develop a knowledge-based economy for the country.

Earlier, the coordinator of the Defence and Military Subcommittee, Air Vice Marshal Onyemaechi Osahor, who articulated the objectives of the subcommittee, said its “effort is aimed at enhancing the attainment of self-reliance of the armed forces of Nigeria in platform and equipment holding through collaborative research with the academia and industry.”

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