For the umpteenth time, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reiterated that national security remains a top priority of his administration.
Tinubu said steps taken so far by his administration would impact efforts to defeat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in the country.
Tinubu stated this Wednesday at the 60th anniversary of Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and the inaugural Africa Defence Industries conference in Abuja.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the president said his passion to see the speedy growth of DICON and Nigeria’s Military Industrial Complex (MIC), motivated him to sign the DICON Act 2023 into law within the first six months in office.
“With the signing of the DICON Act 2023, we mark a new era for DICON, positioning it as the arrowhead of our Military Industrial Complex, providing a robust framework to drive our strategic objectives in defence manufacturing and technology and supporting the modernisation of our Armed Forces to address national and sub-regional security challenges,” he said.
President Tinubu said his administration had created the right environment for DICON “to be equipped with modern automated production lines and production systems.”
“I am happy to see the progress towards establishing our first uncrewed or unmanned aerial and land vehicle automated production lines.
“These lofty steps would indeed bring us closer to the rest of the world, and no doubt significantly impact our current efforts to defeat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in our country.”
He said contemporary security challenges confronting Nigeria required a whole of government and society approach to resolve them decisively, adding that the renewed vision of DICON aligns with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The DICON Evolution Strategy and Road Map 2030, based on the DICON Act 2023 that we launch today, aims to bridge performance gaps in our Military Industrial Complex and reposition DICON as a global player, as was long envisaged by our founding fathers,” said the president.
…Matawalle remarks
In his remarks, the minister of state for defence, Bello Matawalle, said over the past 60 years, DICON had made significant contributions to the nation’s defence architecture, by providing the Nigerian Armed Forces with essential equipment and supporting the development of Nigeria’s military capabilities.
“Therefore, we take immense pride in this legacy of resilience and innovation,” the minister said.
Describing the signing of the DICON Act 2023 by the president Tinubu as a new dawn for local production of military hard wares, Matawalle said: “As we stand on the threshold of a new era, it is clear that the future holds even greater opportunities for growth and transformation of indigenous production in Nigeria.
“The recent enactment of the DICON Act 2023 by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, marks a turning point in the history of our defence sector.
“This new legal framework empowers DICON to operate with greater autonomy and efficiency, enhancing its ability to meet the evolving defence needs of our nation.”
According to him, “this strategic plan is aligned with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda and is designed to position DICON as a leader in defence innovation, not just in Nigeria but across the African continent.”
He said the roadmap outlines clear objectives for strengthening Nigeria’s national security, promoting sustainable development, and driving economic diversification through defence sector industrialisation, digitisation, and innovation.