By John Onah, Abuja
Students hoping to build careers in Nigeria’s defence manufacturing sector received a major boost after the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Institute of Technology was admitted as a beneficiary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The approval means the institute will begin receiving annual TETFund allocations from 2027 to improve learning facilities, research and staff development.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, announced the decision while receiving DICON Director-General, Maj.-Gen. Babatunde Alaya, and his delegation in Abuja.
He said the Fund’s Board of Trustees approved DICON’s enlistment at its meeting last week.
Echono said the institute would benefit from interventions covering infrastructure, information and communication technology, research, innovation and staff training.
He urged the institution to appoint qualified officers to manage TETFund projects and ensure proper use of the interventions.
He also encouraged DICON to participate in the November TETFair exhibition and collaborate with TETFund on research, especially in defence and security.
Earlier, Alaya said the visit was aimed at seeking guidance on developing the newly enlisted institution into a world-class technical school.
He explained that the institute was established to train skilled manpower needed for Nigeria’s defence manufacturing industry and wider industrial growth.
According to him, the National Board for Technical Education has approved six National Diploma programmes, while admissions have opened for about 960 students.
Alaya said although the institute already has classrooms, hostels, laboratories and a library, it still requires specialised equipment such as welding simulators and mechatronics laboratories to produce graduates capable of driving Nigeria’s industrial and defence ambitions.