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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has charged Nigeria’s defence industry to deepen local capacity for building arms instead of relying on imports.
Kalu, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary ( CPS), Levinus Nwabughiogu, gave th charge, while speaking at tagged “Nigeria People’s Strategic Conference and Defence Exhibition 2026”, at the weekend, in Abuja.
The Deputy Speaker, who stated that Nigeria must end dependence on foreign arms and build a homegrown defence ecosystem that creates jobs and reduces vulnerabilities, also charged the financial sector to tighten its financial net against criminal and terrorist financial flows.
He also tasked the technology sector to provide platforms for intelligence sharing and early warning, and urged the civil society to bridge the gaps between communities and government.
According to him, “Every sector represented in this room must leave with a specific, measurable role in Nigeria’s security architecture. The defence industry must deepen local capacity so that we do not import what we can produce. The technology sector must offer platforms for intelligence sharing and community early warning.
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“The financial sector must tighten the chokepoints through which criminal and terrorist financing flows. The civil society must continue to build the bridges between communities and government that make sustainable peace possible.
“And the legislature, we will continue to provide the legal scaffolding on which all of this is built. We will continue to review the constitution where it needs reviewing. We will appropriate resources where resources are needed. We will provide oversight to ensure that what is promised is delivered. We will legislate not for public applause but for the protection of lives and the dignity of every Nigerian.”
He added that the House recently voted in favour of the alteration of the 1999 Constitution ( as amended) for the establishment of state police.
“Nigeria is not failing. Nigeria is fighting. There is a difference. A failing country stops trying. Nigeria has never stopped trying. That is our heritage. That is our irreducible character. But resilience must be met by structure. Courage must be met by policy. The sacrifice of the Nigerian people deserves a security ecosystem worthy of the sacrifice,” Kalu stated.
