Nigeria's Defence Industries Corporation (DICON) has been cleared by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to receive its support, with yearly funding due to start in 2027.
DICON's Approval From TETFund
Arc. Sonny Echono, TETFund's Executive Secretary, made the announcement in Abuja when DICON's Director-General, Major General Babatunde Alaya, led a delegation to call on the Fund.
According to Echono, the Fund's Board of Trustees gave the green light at a meeting held the week before.
“Effectively, they are now members of the TETFund family, and from 2027, they will begin to receive annual allocations from TETFund,” he said.
Being a beneficiary means DICON qualifies for support schemes covering research and innovation, along with ICT, the development of its staff and physical infrastructure, he said.
Echono urged DICON to name suitably qualified desk officers who would handle applications, draw up proposals, track projects and make sure the Fund's guidelines are followed.
Singling out DICON's technical courses, notably Welding and Fabrication Technology and Mechatronics Engineering Technology, he observed that Nigeria must build up its skilled technical workforce to rely less on expertise from abroad and boost manufacturing at home.
Echono also urged DICON to take part in TETFair, the Fund's countrywide showcase for work in manufacturing, innovation and research, which is due to hold in November.
DICON and TETFund's Support on Security
In the areas of defence and security especially, Echono said TETFund stood ready to work with DICON on innovation and research.
According to him, the institution was free to nominate a suitably qualified researcher for a seat on the Fund's monitoring committee for research grants nationwide, whose remit spans a number of thematic areas, among them military and defence.
Major General Babatunde Alaya's Speech
Speaking first, Major Gen. Alaya explained that the purpose of the visit was to update TETFund on how far DICON had come and to ask for advice on satisfying the requirements for the institution to get started.
He said DICON Institute of Technology was set up to train the engineers and technical workers that Nigeria's defence manufacturing sector needs, and to support wider industrial development.
Alaya noted that the institution now has the status of a federal polytechnic, and that the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has approved six National Diploma courses, namely:
- Training in welding and metal fabrication technology
- Foundry Technology,
- Computer Science,
- Science Laboratory Technology,
- Procurement and Supply Chain Management, and
- Mechatronics Engineering Technology.
Alaya said enrolment was currently open for all six programmes, and that the institute was approved to take in roughly 960 students.
The official said the institute already has lecture halls, hostels for men and for women, laboratories along with a library, yet more facilities and specially built equipment are still required before it can deliver hands-on training that is effective.
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Alaya listed the priorities as up-to-date welding simulators, facilities for computing and networking, and dedicated mechatronics labs.
He said management intends to draw up a phased development plan for the institution, setting out the expected expenditure, schedules and measurable learning outcomes.
Alaya also sought TETFund's guidance on how to address the needs of the school at this early stage of its growth, including whether the Federal Ministry of Education and other appropriate bodies could be involved.
TETFund was given an undertaking by the school that its spending would go first to the most pressing requirements, that it would stay answerable for how funds are used, and that it would take proper care of any equipment and facilities supplied to it.
According to him, the end aim is to turn out graduates with solid technical skills who can add to the country's industrial base and its capacity to manufacture defence equipment.
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