DICON: Increased funding on indigenous arms production advocated

Professor Hyacinth Nnaoma Iwu of the Department of Political Science, Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU), Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State,  has called on the Federal Government  for increasing funding of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria [DICON], to boost indigenous production of modern military hardware. He spoke at the Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX), in Lagos.

He said: “The exhibition provided Nigeria with an opportunity    to assess the military capabilities of participating countries and identify technologies that could strengthen its domestic defence industry.  AFRIDEX is a demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria military capabilities through the repositioning of DICON.

“The Bill that empowers  DICON reform Act signed into law in 2023 provides an important framework for rebuilding the corporation and advancing Nigeria’s defence industrial capacity. Also, it provides the opportunity for government and DICON to organise the international exhibition, which provides DICON and the Armed Forces with comparative information about military capabilities of other participating countries from Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  Exposure to foreign technologies mostly translates into practical knowledge, experimentation, research and development.

“Comparative information is different from comparative knowledge. Also, the DICON could only improve its capabilities through experimentation, recalibration, reverse engineering and deliberate investment in research and development established in 1964, DICON was created to strengthen Nigeria capacity to meet its military equipment requirements.

“The sophistication of modern military hardware and changing patterns of warfare made indigenous production increasingly important. Modern warfare is largely conducted in the air strike drones, surveillance drones, intercontinental ballistic missiles, interceptors, patriot missiles, stealth aircraft that cannot be detected by radar, military weapons that travel at the speed of lightning. Meanwhile, some of these non-state actors are said to know about cyber wars, using information technology to decode and decode and gather intelligence on government.

“The increasing technological capabilities of armed groups, particularly in the Sahel, posed serious threats to national governments and required more coordinated responses.  Nigeria defence budget should therefore prioritise local production of modern weapons and equipment   suitable for contemporary military operations.

“There should be adequate stockpiling of military equipment. Reliance on foreign suppliers could become a strategic vulnerability during conflicts. The interdiction of military equipment by adversaries could leave a country exposed if it lacks the capacity to manufacture replacements or secure immediate supplies.

“AFRIDEX   has demonstrated the importance of preparing   for both conventional and unconventional warfare during peacetime. Government should harness indigenous skills and talents.

“Nigeria must ensure that defence budgets are property monitored while providing DICON with the resources required to develop indigenous military production capabilities. The country’s Security challenges and limited resources make it imperative to ensure that every investment in the defence sector delivered measurable operational and industrial benefits. The insurgence war demands proper accountability of defence budget and an increase in the funding of DICON that targets production military weapons using indigenous capacity in the production of the military weapons.”