Monguno Supports TETFund’s Bid to Establish Research and Devpt Foundation
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Mohammed Monguno (Rtd) has thrown his weight behind the call by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for the establishment of a National R&D Foundation to ensure sustainable funding of research and human capital development in the country.
Monguno, who promised to reach out to relevant authorities that would help facilitate the process, pledged his support when the Executive Secretary of TETFund and Convener of the Fund’s Research and Development Standing Committee (RDSC), Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro led members of the Defence and Military Subcommittee of RDSC to his office in Abuja on Wednesday.
The NSA, in a statement issued by Mr. Abdulmumin Oniyangi, the Acting Director, Public Affairs at TETFUND, emphasized the importance of R&D to national development and added that there was need to apply problem-solving research in harnessing the natural resources and potentials of Nigeria to solve its problems.
He commended the Executive Secretary for his initiative in convening the RDSC as well as his call for the establishment of a National R&D Foundation to solve the challenges of research funding in the country and assured that he would submit a report on the matter to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I, as the National Security Adviser want to commit myself to ensuring that your take-off is assisted. In the report I am going to submit to Mr. President, I will emphasize the urgency in addressing this problem.
“In my office, since it has this panoramic view of what is happening and it can interface not just within the Defence and Security community but also with the wider public service and larger Nigerian society, I will see whatever I can do to support,” he assured.
Prof. Bagoro, on his part, expressed appreciation to the NSA for his expeditious acceptance to receive the committee in his office.
While reiterating the importance of R&D in solving the problems of society, technology, economy, defence and security in Nigeria, he highlighted some of the Fund’s efforts in supporting research in the country and expressed hope that the RDSC assignment would eventually culminate in the establishment of a National R&D Foundation.
In his remarks, the Chairman of RDSC, Emeritus Prof. Njidda Gadzama stated that the Defence and Military Subcommittee was mandated to develop a model to institutionalize Defence R&D through need-oriented research in collaboration with research institutions and industries and sought the support of Major General Monguno in actualizing the objective.
