Lagos State University (LASU) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have renewed and expanded their strategic partnership with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
EpeInsights gathered that the event also featured the inauguration of a 10-member Joint Research Committee aimed at strengthening collaboration in defence technology, innovation, and national development.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, described the occasion as a historic milestone in the relationship between the two institutions.
She recalled that the original MoU was signed in 2013, renewed in 2018, and expired in 2023. The latest renewal follows a high-level meeting between the leadership of LASU and NAF in October 2024.
Professor Olatunji-Bello emphasized LASU’s commitment to impactful research and interdisciplinary collaboration, noting that the partnership with NAF is aligned with the university’s vision of producing academically sound and solution-driven graduates.
She stated that the renewed MoU expands the collaboration to include additional disciplines such as Industrial and Systems Engineering, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Physics and Biotechnology as well as new areas like Transport and Logistics Management.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, who inaugurated the Joint Research Committee, expressed his satisfaction with the partnership.
He urged the committee members to approach their assignment with patriotism and dedication, stating that the collaboration is crucial to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges through strengthened research capabilities.
The Joint Research Committee is expected to facilitate collaborative projects that blend LASU’s academic strengths with the operational insights of the Nigerian Air Force.
Its responsibilities include developing a 12-year strategic plan, conducting needs assessments, identifying promising research initiatives, monitoring project quality, establishing funding requirements, and sourcing grants from national and international organizations.
The committee’s mandate will span a period of ten years, with chairmanship rotating between LASU and NAF. For the first five years, the committee will be chaired by Professor Adejuwon Adeneye, Director of LASU’s Directorate of Research Management and Innovation. A representative from NAF will assume the role for the remaining five years.
Other LASU representatives on the committee are Professor Nurudeen A. Raji, Dean, Faculty of Engineering; Professor Oladejo Duduyemi, Head, Department of Civil Engineering; Professor Charles Asenime, Dean, School of Transport and Logistics; and Dr. Ashiribo Senapon Wusu, Assistant Director, Open and Distance Learning and Research Institute.
The NAF members include Air Vice Marshal P.O. Oahimire, Director General, Air Force Research and Development Institute (AFRDI); Air Vice Marshal N.S. Okoro, Director, Research and Development, Headquarters NAF; Air Commodore A.A. Adebomehin, Director, Artificial Intelligence Research, AFRDI; Professor M. Alimi, Director, Centre for Innovation and Research, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT); and Air Commodore M. Umar, Commander, 631 Aircraft Maintenance Depot.
Other university officials present at the event included Mr. Emmanuel A. Fanu, Registrar; Professor Elkanah Oyetunji, Head of LASU Epe Campus; Mrs. Olajumoke Boyejo, Deputy Registrar, Legal Unit; Mrs. Fatima Ogunniyi, Personal Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor; and Mr. Oluwaseun Gbanja, Media Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor.
The renewed partnership is expected to yield practical solutions to national challenges through research, innovation, and sustained academic-defence collaboration.
