The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has urged on the Nigerian army to intensify research on defence, innovation and technology, with a view to protect the citizenry. Executive Secretary, TETFund, Prof Suleiman Bogoro, stated this at the unveiling of a 13-man Defence and Security Research and Development Subcommittee to lead efforts on collaborative research in defence and operations.
Bogoro who said warfare, which was carried out in the field in times past, has gone digital and nuclear, added that in the 21st century, the defence and military sectors of any nation must inject innovation perfected through research and development to build a formidable force. “Today, unlike what we would have thought about immediately post-independence, we saw the military by the colours of the uniform they wore and the beautiful berets, but I tell you contemporary military is known and associated with contemporary innovations”, he stated.
Chairman of TETFund Research and Development Standing Committee, Prof. Njiddah Gadzama, described the army as a special group and said no country has made it without strong research and development component of the government.
Gadzama further disclosed that besides the military, the committee had 12 more research groups, including agriculture, environmental resources, medicine, pharmaceuticals, ICT, digital economy, petroleum resources, solid mineral and mining, industrialisation, engineering technology and material science, infrastructural development, education, energy, governance, social development and internal security.
