The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria Institute of Technology has secured recognition as a beneficiary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, positioning it to receive annual allocations beginning in 2027.
TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono disclosed the development when DICON Director-General Major-General Babatunde Alaya led a delegation to the fund’s headquarters in Abuja. Echono said the Board of Trustees had approved the institute’s admission at a meeting the previous week.
The decision opens the way for the institute to seek support through intervention windows covering physical infrastructure, information and communication technology, academic staff development, research and innovation. Echono advised the institution to appoint competent desk officers to manage applications, formulate proposals, supervise projects and maintain compliance with funding rules.
He identified welding, fabrication and mechatronics as particularly valuable areas of training for a country seeking to expand manufacturing capacity and reduce dependence on foreign technical specialists. Modern automated manufacturing, he noted, increasingly relies on programmable equipment and technicians able to operate sophisticated production systems.
Echono also encouraged the institute to participate in TETFair, the national research and innovation exhibition scheduled for November, and signalled willingness to explore research collaboration in defence and security. He said DICON could put forward a qualified researcher for the national research grant and monitoring committee, which includes defence-related themes.
Alaya explained that the institute was created to supply skilled personnel for engineering, manufacturing, applied sciences and related industries. He said it had been classified as a federal polytechnic and received National Board for Technical Education approval for six National Diploma courses: Welding and Fabrication Technology, Foundry Technology, Computer Science, Science Laboratory Technology, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, and Mechatronics Engineering Technology.
Admissions, he said, were open across the six courses, with an approved capacity of about 960 students. Although classrooms, hostels, laboratories and a library already exist, the institution still requires specialized facilities to deliver practical instruction at the desired standard.
Priority requirements include modern welding simulators, computing and networking equipment and dedicated mechatronics laboratories. Alaya said management would develop a phased plan specifying costs, schedules and measurable outputs, and requested guidance on any additional approval or support needed from education authorities.
The institution pledged to account for funds received and to develop training capable of supporting Nigeria’s industrial and defence production ambitions. The first regular TETFund allocations are expected in 2027, rather than immediately.
