The Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to supporting education and research in military institutions.
Echono said this when the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the headquarters of TETFund on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the Nigerian Air Force had contributed significantly to Nigeria’s education and health sectors through its institutions and medical facilities serving both personnel and civilians.
He noted that Air Force hospitals had become centres where many citizens accessed healthcare, adding that the service had contributed greatly to national welfare beyond its security responsibilities.
Echono pledged TETFund interventions in infrastructure, research, and academic development of Air Force institutions.
“The Nigerian Air Force, like all the armed services, has played a very pivotal role in our education sector, starting from the very basic to secondary.
“They have played such role, not only in education, but also in the health sector. In many cities across the country, health care delivery is actually extended to civilian populations,” he said.
Echono added that some requests from the institute, including staff accommodation and medical training support, had already been captured in the fund’s 2026 intervention plans.
He said TETFund was also providing medical equipment and improving facilities in teaching hospitals to enhance clinical training for students across tertiary institutions.
He explained that the fund was exploring ways to support specialised areas such as aviation medicine to strengthen manpower needed to support military operations.
He pledged to present the request for additional support to the Board of Trustees under the presidential initiative for medical equipment and facility development.
He assured that TETFund would continue improving learning environments and enhancing the global competitiveness of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Earlier, the Chief of the Air Staff, Aneke, commended TETFund for its sustained support to tertiary education in Nigeria.
Aneke said the fund had played a pivotal role in strengthening infrastructure, research, and academic capacity in institutions across the country.
He noted that TETFund’s interventions had significantly enhanced the training capacity of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT).
He also said the institute had evolved into a multidisciplinary centre producing skilled manpower for aviation, aerospace and defence.
He added that the Nigerian Air Force valued its partnership with TETFund and sought to deepen collaboration in emerging areas of technology and healthcare training.
Aneke appealed to the fund to support the establishment of an artificial intelligence and robotics laboratory at AFIT.
“We respectfully seek TETFund’s contribution for support in development of an artificial intelligence and robotic laboratory at AFIT.
“We all know that such a facility will greatly enhance research and innovation in emerging technologies that are increasingly shaping modern aerospace and defence corporations.
“We also seek for the construction of a five kilometer perimeter security fence equipped with integrated smart surveillance systems.
“Additionally, the construction of residential accommodation for both teaching and non-teaching staff will significantly improve staff welfare and help attract and retain highly qualified professionals within the institution,” he said.
He added that the partnership between the Air Force and TETFund demonstrated how collaboration between national institutions could drive innovation and human capital development.
