The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has pledged strong institutional support for the Defence Research and Development Bureau (RDB) to boost military-led research and innovation aimed at addressing Nigeria’s security and development challenges through homegrown solutions.
The commitment was made by the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, during a courtesy visit by the Director General of RDB, Rear Admiral K. J. Odubanjo, and his management team to the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja.
Echono said Nigeria must deliberately mobilise its internal resources to tackle persistent national challenges such as insecurity, unemployment and overreliance on foreign goods and services.
“As a country hungry for development, faced with serious challenges ranging from insecurity to unemployment and dependence on foreign goods and services, there is a need to harness all the resources available to us,” he said.
He noted that globally, the military has historically played a central role in technological and scientific breakthroughs, citing innovations such as the internet, GPS technology and drone applications.
“Traditionally, the military has played a very significant role in technological and scientific development across the globe. Even the internet and GPS technologies we use today originated from military research,” Echono stated.
Welcoming the RDB leadership, Echono reaffirmed TETFund’s recognition of the Bureau’s strategic importance to national development, adding that effective collaboration between defence research institutions and civilian agencies was critical.
He disclosed that TETFund has, in the past two years, intensified efforts to bridge gaps between research funding and practical application. According to him, the Federal Government has also inaugurated a Committee on the Commercialisation of Research Findings to ensure research outputs move beyond prototypes to market-ready products.
“Going forward, all products of research will have support to translate them from prototypes into actual goods and services, with partners brought in to invest and scale them,” he said.
Echono urged the RDB to actively participate in relevant committees to ensure defence research interests are well represented in national decision-making processes.
Earlier, Rear Admiral K. J. Odubanjo said the RDB under his leadership is prioritising strategic partnerships to strengthen defence innovation.
“Progress is only possible when we work with the right partners, because no institution can operate in isolation,” he said.
Odubanjo explained that the Bureau is mandated to coordinate defence-related research nationwide and foster collaboration between military and civilian research institutions.
Highlighting RDB-backed innovations, he cited an airboat currently in use, noting that while the Bureau did not manufacture it, the concept was developed internally and transferred to a private company for production.
“The Nigeria Customs Service has requested its own units, and we are currently working with the company to deliver them,” he said.
He also revealed that RDB has collaborated with private firms to develop night-vision goggles, which have been tested, certified and approved, with the Enugu State Government expressing interest in procurement.
However, Odubanjo identified funding as a major challenge, stressing that sustained research requires adequate financial backing.
“We have the ideas, the experts and partnerships with universities, but research cannot move forward without funding. This is why TETFund’s intervention is vital,” he said.
He expressed optimism that continued support from TETFund would strengthen Nigeria’s research capacity and enhance the country’s ability to confront security challenges and drive technological advancement.
