General News
TETFUND Researchers want FG to Invest in Technology
The federal government has been urged to invest more in technology such as drones, implementing satellite enhanced surveillance and monitoring of hard-to-reach locations to tackle banditry.
These were part of the research recommendations presented at an online validation workshop from university researchers who investigated armed bandits and banditry in Nigeria; the history, character and panacea, funded by TETFUND grant.
To reduce bandit attacks in communities around Nigeria, the researchers tasked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to charge his service chiefs to deepen the use of non-kinetic rather than kinetic approaches.
“While banditry has led to displacement, unemployment and poverty in some of the affected communities, the affected people want government to adopt non-kinetic alongside with kinetic approach by building community resilience through the provision of communication gadgets to community members for the purpose of gathering intelligence and reporting incidences,” the researchers revealed.
Led by Olajide Akanji, a professor and the principal investigator, the researchers (Rasidi Okunola, Bentina Mathias, Bukola Adesina, Nathaniel Danjibo, a doctorate degree holder, Adebimpe Adenugba and Oludayo Tade, all professors), argued that the absence of such gadgets has hindered evidence gathering, reportage, and investigation of perpetrators in communities.
They also called on the government to empower communities and individuals to be able to defend themselves rather than feel helpless when attacked.
The research participants also called for the creation of community policing to promptly attend to bandit attacks in local communities more effectively. More importantly, communities prone to bandit attacks need regular security awareness and sensitisation training.”
While speaking further, Akanji stated that participants called for strict penalties such as death penalty for bandits and their informants within the community to serve as deterrent to others.
They likewise called for increased collaboration among traditional institutions, security agencies and community leaders to nip activities in the bud.
They found out that where reported success was made, interagency collaboration was used in the fight against bandits, hence they advised governments at the federal and affected states to ensure that adequate support for long term rehabilitation and resettlement of victims of banditry are made.
The researchers who collated data from the Northwest, Northcentral, Southeast and Southwest zones, noted that there was the need for regular deployment, monitoring and surveillance of communities prone to bandit attacks adding that data have shown that bandits attack communities very early or late in the night while others attack communities on market days with a view to hijacking food, kidnap and displace communities.
While noting that it was important for the government to prioritise the welfare of security agents who work in bandit affected communities nationwide, they noted that the government needs to invest in technology such as drones and implementing satellite enhanced surveillance and monitoring of hard-to-reach locations.
Participants argued that the absence of such gadgets has hindered evidence gathering, reportage, and investigation of perpetrators in communities.
The study also found lapses in the government responses to the fight against banditry to include the practice of releasing and returning arrested bandits back to communities, which have undermined trust in the legal and security frameworks, deterring individuals from reporting suspicious activities due to fear of reprisal.
Others are: lack of implementation of decisions reached during investigations, leading to disconnect between government promises and actionable results; poor and lack of evaluation and adaptation of governments’ responses to evolving banditry threats and delays in aid delivery to victims.
The validation workshop was attended by the representatives of the Nigeria Navy, Nigerian Airforce, Office of the National Security Adviser, UNDP and Amotekun from Oyo and Ekiti states, among other stakeholders.
IHS Nigeria has partnered with the Osun State Government on Osun Teacher-Shift 2025, a programme aimed at transforming technical and vocational school teachers into digital-ready educators capable of driving innovation in classrooms.
The IHS Nigeria sponsored initiative, implemented by Focus Teens Foundation in collaboration with the Osun State Board of Technical and Vocational Education, targets about 200 teachers across the State’s nine technical colleges. The training will run in batches over a two-day period, with participants expected to acquire modern skills, and innovative teaching techniques.
Speaking at the opening ceremony which held in Osogbo yesterday, Titilope Oguntuga, Director of Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, explained that the project was developed to prepare teachers for the opportunities and challenges of a fast-evolving world.
She said, “Today is not just the launch of a programme — it is the beginning of a movement. This is more than training, it is a mindset shift. It is about rethinking how we prepare teachers, students, and our communities for the opportunities and challenges of a fast-evolving world.”
Oguntuga emphasised that teachers remain at the centre of national development but face increasing demands to inspire creativity, nurture innovation, and equip young people with practical and technology-driven skills.
She noted that the initiative also reflects IHS Nigeria’s four sustainability pillars — ethics and governance, environment and climate change, people and communities, and education and economic growth.
The IHS official said, “education remains the strongest catalyst for national development. But we cannot achieve this without empowering the people who will empower the next generation. With this programme, teachers and beneficiaries from the nine technical colleges will begin to think more innovatively and incorporate new systems that support STEM for the advancement of our nation.”
Oguntuga added that each school would be given routers with one year subscription.
Adedapo Ademola-Adesina, Special Adviser to the Governor on Technical and Vocational Education, noted that the State Government believes in private sector collaboration to achieve its goals for technical and vocational education, leading to the partnership with IHS Nigeria.
“We must begin by changing the mindset of our teachers. They are the ones who shape future leaders. That is why we tagged the program “Osun Teacher-Shift 2025” — shifting from the old ways to new digital teaching”, he said.
Also speaking, Sunday Eluwole, the Osun State Commissioner for Education, acknowledged that the training was both timely and necessary, saying; “this is the 21st century, and Nigeria cannot be left behind. Our schools, teachers, and classrooms must be digitalised. Teachers must first be trained in digital methods before they can pass the knowledge on to students.”
Eluwole added that Osun State, which has the highest number of technical colleges in the Country, is committed to making its schools models of digital and vocational learning.
Earlier, Muritala Jimoh, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said that Osun State teachers are ready to shift. Jimoh noted that Governor Ademola Adeleke is prioritising teachers’ welfare in the state, hence their readiness to embrace the shift.
He called on teachers to reciprocate government’s efforts by making their minds flexible to change.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed all airlines operating in the country to ensure that passengers completely switch off their mobile phones during aircraft take-off and landing.
Michael Achimugu, director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCCA, disclosed the directive in a post on X on Tuesday.
He said the measure was part of a harmonisation of existing rules on the use of electronic devices onboard.
“Henceforth, the regulation per phones and other electronic devices in Nigeria has been unified: ALL PHONES MUST BE SWITCHED OFF DURING THE CRITICAL ASPECTS OF TAKE-OFF AND LANDING,” Achimugu wrote.
“All airlines must amend their security programmes to reflect this if different in their current programmes. No more airplane mode until regulations are reviewed to reflect evolving technological situations.”
The directive means that all airlines will have to adjust their operational manuals and cabin crew instructions to enforce the policy.
Reactions to the announcement have been mixed on social media, with some Nigerians questioning the relevance of the rule in light of advances in aircraft technology and onboard connectivity.
Sonny Echono, executive secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has called on Nigerian tertiary institutions to urgently embrace technology in teaching, research, and administration, warning that billions of naira already invested in ICT infrastructure risk being wasted due to underutilization.
Echono made the call in Abuja, Nigeria while delivering remarks at a 2-Day Workshop on Blackboard/TERAS Adoption and Usage in Beneficiary Institutions, organized by TETFund for Registrars, Bursars, Directors of Academic Planning and ICT and Thesis Project Repository Managers of beneficiary institutions.
He lamented that despite TETFund’s early investment in digital learning platforms such as the Tertiary Education, Research, Applications and Services, TERAS, many universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education were still lagging behind in ICT adoption.
According to him, Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and limited availability of classrooms make technology the only viable pathway to expanding access to quality education.
“We are no longer confined to the four walls of classrooms. With just an android phone or a device, students should be able to access content, participate in learning, and acquire skills. There is no alternative to technology if we must prepare our youths for the opportunities ahead,” Echono said.
He decried the slow pace of transition to digital platforms in many institutions, some of which still send hardcopy requests to TETFund despite clear directives for e-submissions.
The TETFund boss stressed that robust and regularly updated institutional websites should be a minimum requirement in the digital age, describing many schools’ online presence as “embarrassingly outdated.”
Echono also cited the successes recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown when TETFund partnered states, the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, and radio stations to broadcast WAEC syllabus-based lessons.
According to him, that year produced one of Nigeria’s best WAEC results, indicating the potential of technology to revolutionise learning.
He expressed concern that Nigeria now ranks 189th globally and 25th in Africa in education competitiveness, behind smaller countries like Rwanda and Mauritius that have leveraged ICT to transform their systems.
“Government has done its part by providing the infrastructure. But when equipment is procured and platforms created and they are not being used, that is the very definition of waste,” he warned.
The TETFund boss urged heads of institutions to champion the use of digital platforms like TERAS by lecturers and students, stressing that over time, more than half of TETFund’s education investments would have to go into ICT rather than physical infrastructure.
Echono also linked Nigeria’s underdevelopment to its failure to leverage technology in sectors such as oil, agriculture, and manufacturing, contrasting the country’s struggles with China’s rapid transformation through deliberate investment in knowledge and innovation.
“We can do the same if we decide to do the right thing. The right thing starts with our education system. The building block of every nation is knowledge,” he said.
He appealed to tertiary institutions to seize the opportunity, populate their websites with relevant data, and ensure students and staff are fully onboarded onto TERAS platform.
Earlier, Mr. Joseph Odo, director of ICT, TETFund, said interactive sessions at the workshop were designed to deepen understanding of the Fund’s digital platforms and improve collaboration among beneficiary institutions.
“This is part of our engagements with key stakeholders, registrars, librarians, ICT directors, repository managers, and academic planners, to ensure that everyone understands the interventions we are providing. The world is moving fast technology-wise, and we cannot afford to be left behind,” Odo said.
He explained that the sessions, which will hold across all six geopolitical zones, are focused on strengthening the use of TETFund-funded learning platforms, which aggregate data for planning and improve teaching, research, and learning outcomes.
Odo added that TERAS is evolving into “an educational lifestyle” that caters to students, lecturers, administrators, and even government planners.
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