By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has approved the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) as a beneficiary institution, paving the way for annual allocations from 2027 to support infrastructure, technical training, research and innovation.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, disclosed this in Abuja during a meeting with a delegation led by DICON Director-General, Major-General Babatunde Alaya.
He said the approval was granted by the Fund’s Board of Trustees and encouraged the institution to appoint qualified officers to coordinate applications and ensure that projects comply with TETFund’s guidelines.
Echono highlighted the importance of strengthening technical education in areas such as welding, fabrication and mechatronics to boost local manufacturing and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on foreign expertise.
He also invited DICON to showcase its achievements at TETFund’s national exhibition of research, innovation and manufacturing, TETFair, scheduled for November, and expressed the Fund’s readiness to support collaborative research in defence and security.
Earlier, DICON Director-General, Major-General, Alaya said DICON Institute of Technology was established to develop the skilled technical workforce needed to support Nigeria’s defence manufacturing industry and broader industrial growth.
He disclosed that the institution had been classified as a federal polytechnic, with six National Diploma programmes approved by the National Board for Technical Education and an admission capacity of about 960 students.
While basic facilities, including classrooms, hostels, laboratories and a library, are in place. He said the institution still requires specialised equipment, modern welding simulators and improved computing facilities to deliver effective practical training.
