Defence Minister: Nigeria’s military plans shift to local equipment
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, has announced a significant shift towards local production of military hardware, moving away from dependence on foreign procurement.
In a statement released by his Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mati Ali, Badaru stated, “This aims to facilitate local production, repairs, refurbishment, and supply of military hardware and ordnance.”
The minister highlighted that this transition represents a critical step towards self-reliance, crucial for enhancing national security.
He added, “The shift to local production is expected to boost efficiency and reduce reliance on imported hardware.”
This announcement followed Badaru’s recent two-day working tour of military institutions in Kaduna. During the tour, he visited notable facilities such as the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Nigerian Air Force Institute of Technology, where he saw firsthand the ongoing efforts in military training and local production.
The Defence Minister commended the ongoing initiatives in training and refurbishing military assets, emphasizing the importance of training in achieving Nigeria’s defense objectives.
“Some of the equipment successfully constructed and repaired are made readily available for redeployment, while others are already deployed back to theatres of operations,” he noted.
Badaru praised the Armed Forces for their innovation and underscored the roles of Training, Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) in achieving operational excellence, urging for continued collaboration between institutions.
Furthermore, he reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to reforming Nigeria’s defense capabilities, mentioning the recent signing of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria Bill into law as a landmark step towards this transformation.
Source: PUNCH
