By Paul Michael, Defence Editor, Abuja
The Defence Minister, Bashir Magashi has said invasion of Ukraine by Russia is a lesson for Nigeria to invest in local manufacturing of weapons
The Minister said this during the Armed Forces Special Day at the ongoing 43rd Kaduna International Trade Fair. Adding that the global events of the last few days has reinforced the need to improve local production of defence needs, improving security of supply chains and entering into international collaborations that would ensure transfer of technology.
Magashi, who was represented by his Special Adviser, Ahmad Jibrin, further said that the Buhari administration is committed to building a strong Armed Forces. Noting that the administration has resolved to continue to provide adequate logistics and equipment for the Armed Forces to perform their assigned tasks.
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He stressed that the ongoing efforts by the Buhari administration to establish a military industrial complex was a pointer towards President Buhari’s drive to improve self-sustainability in the Armed Forces.
He said: “The complex will be a collaboration involving the government, the military, the defence industries and research institutions, with activities geared towards the production of Nigeria’s defence needs.
“I call on members of the academia and industries to take advantage of the opportunity and seek possible areas of partnership.”
The event provides a platform for the military to showcase its prowess in the indigenous production of defence materials as well as its research and development efforts.
Magashi commended the efforts of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), and Command Engineering Depot (CED) for representing the military at the event and showcasing a number of indigenous military products. He charged them not to rest on their laurels.
Director-General of DICON, Hassan Tafida, assured the Minister of the Armed Forces’ commitment to improve its capacity and be self-reliant in producing all military hardware needs in the country.
