The Commandant of the National Defence College (NDC), Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, has appealed to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for support to deepen the College’s research capacity and overhaul its curriculum in response to evolving security challenges in Nigeria, including the integration of Artificial Intelligence.
Ahmed, the 22nd Commandant of the College, made the appeal during a high-level visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, at the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja. During the visit, the duo signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on several collaborative initiatives.
“The support will enable us to deepen our research capacity and ensure that our curriculum remains relevant to the evolving national security challenges,” he said.
Ahmed revealed that upon assuming duty, he initiated a review of the College’s curriculum, expressing strong belief that with support and input from TETFund, the College would attain the standard he has envisioned.
He added that the focus of the curriculum review includes the application of artificial intelligence, strategic thinking, and policy-making.
“As an apex security training institution in the country, the College is involved in strategic research and journal publications, which are peer-reviewed in Africa and meet global standards,” he said, appealing to TETFund for sponsorship of these publications.
Ahmed also stated that the visit aimed to appreciate TETFund for its interventions in infrastructure development, not only at the College but across tertiary institutions nationwide.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, said the MoU signed covers broad areas of collaboration between the National Defence College and TETFund.
He emphasised the need to continue supporting institutions like NDC and others that promote research and advance the overall development of the country.
Echono also commended the men and women in uniform for their sacrifices in keeping the nation safe and protecting Nigerians, noting that some pay a very high price.
He said: “As the apex military training institution in the country, it’s only natural that you lead in the area of intelligence and research. That is why, only last year, TETFund decided to expand the scope of its research interventions to include a new thematic area called military and intelligence sector. That has been institutionalised, and we allocate resources for it.”
Speaking further on the importance of the collaboration, Echono noted that worldwide, many advances in science originate from the military, citing the Global Positioning System (GPS), now widely used for navigation, as an example developed through military science.
He expressed TETFund’s commitment to help advance and elevate the contributions of the military beyond kinetic protection, including exploring avenues for national growth and development.
