•Army chief, Lt General Waidi Shuabu
Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Waidi Shuabu, has called for a partnership with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to enable skills development and local production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
The COAS made the request during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of PTDF, Prof. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, today in Abuja, reports Daily Trust.
Lt General Waidi said the partnership is important to equip the army with modern technologies in combating insecurity ravaging the country, noting that modern warfare requires skilled personnel in drone, production, operations and maintenance.
“We are at a critical moment in our history whereby science, technology are critical aspects of personnel skill development to assist in solving contemporary security situations.
“Issues of terrorism, insurgency, banditry are still plaguing the country and we are looking forward to developing critical skills in unmanned aerial systems and drone technology to assist in building and domesticating that skill within the country and to reduce the number of personnel sent outside the country.
“I am making this request for some of our officers as we strive to build the mass skills and assist our sister agencies in establishing indigenous companies for the development of UAVs.”
He also commended the PTDF for interventions in command secondary schools.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of PTDF, Prof. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, said a nation cannot build its technological and industrial future without first investing in the young minds who will drive it.
“In recognition of this alignment, and within the framework of PTDF’s mandate and intervention programmes, the Fund is pleased to support this initiative by establishing an ICT centre, laying a critical foundation for digital literacy and technology driven learning among the College’s students.”
He said its partnership with the Nigerian military was already in motion, noting that under the PTDF In-Country Scholarship Scheme, it currently sponsors scholars at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
“Over the years, the Fund has produced thousands of highly skilled Nigerian professionals now serving across the public and private sectors including within the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is this mandate, to build the human capital that powers Nigeria’s energy industry and, by extension, her economy, that shapes every partnership we pursue. In this spirit, we welcome today’s engagement,” he added.
