President Muhammadu Buhari has instructed the Federal Ministry of Defence to come up with a plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex where the local production of weapons that will enable the country armed forces to fight insurgency will take place.
One of the agencies under the ministry, Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), has be directed to operate the ordinance factories for the manufacture and supply of arms and ammunition as well as inspecting, testing and recommending ordinance materials intended for use by the Armed Forces and other security organizations while using the excess capacity to support the development of local industries, the Sun reports.
According to reports, DICON has commenced the production of 7.62 x 39mm Special Ammunition Cartridge in her ultra-modern production facilities located in the south of Kaduna
President Buhari, speaking at the graduation of the National Defence College, Abuja, described as unacceptable, Nigeria’s current over-dependence on other countries for critical military equipment and logistics.
“We must evolve viable mechanisms for near-self-sufficiency in military equipment and logistics production complemented only by very advanced foreign technologies.
“The Ministry of Defence is tasked to draw up clear and measurable outlines for development of a modest Military Industrial Complex for Nigeria.
“In this regard, it is to liaise with other strategic MDAs and industries to re-engineer the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements,” he said.
President Buhari told the gathering that his administration had, since its assumption of office, reviewed the nature and character of Nigeria’s security threats and challenges.
“We recognised first and foremost, the external dimensions of these threats and the need for international cooperation and common security mechanisms to tackle them,” the President said.
Buhari said his administration was “convinced that the best approach was to work within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to mobilise a collective regional effort in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.”
He urged the graduates and officers and men of the Armed Forces to work harder to win the war against Boko Haram, terrorism and insurgency.
“We must apply a comprehensive strategy and coordinate all elements of national power against terrorism and insurgency; we must show result oriented leadership at all levels of military Command; we must set up an optimal organisation to manage and sustain operational performance; and we must show confidence and winning mentality”.
The President assured that the Federal Government under his leadership will strive to meet the operational, logistic, training and welfare requirements of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to ameliorating the hardships of people living in areas most affected by insurgency and terrorism.
“We have the will, resolve and conviction to apply a comprehensive strategy and coordinate all elements of national power against terrorism and insurgency,” he assured.
President Buhari said the National Defence College had fulfilled the vision of its founding fathers, by becoming a strategic human capacity-building institution, making credible contributions to Nigeria and other friendly countries.