The renewed economic and military cooperation between Nigeria and China is laudable. It is in line with our many years of friendship with the highly industrialized Asian country. Apart from increasing currency swap target for Nigeria to the tune of 15 billion Yuan or N720billion or $2.5billion, China has promised to collaborate with Nigeria in the production of local arms and training of military personnel. China’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Wang Yi, disclosed this during his recent visit to President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, as part of his four-nation African tour that took him to DR Congo, Chad, Namibia and Nigeria.
The military collaboration is particularly significant because it will strengthen our resolve to crush and decimate the menacing terrorism, insurgency and banditry and enhance our capacity to produce arms locally. As the leader of black nations the world over, Nigeria is ripe enough to manufacture arms for its needs and even for export. Our continued reliance on imported arms and ammunition in the prosecution of the war against terrorists is no longer helpful and sustainable. Unfortunately, the importation of arms has gulped a sizeable percentage of our annual budget.
Increasing our capacity to produce arms locally will address the bottlenecks often encountered in the importation of arms from powerful nations. If Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in arms production, it can export them to other countries. Out of the twenty leading arms exporters in the world, none is from Africa. These include France, Russia, China, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, Poland, Turkey, Netherlands, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Iran, Belgium, Norway and Slovakia. As the African giant, much is expected from Nigeria in the area of arms production.
Nigeria imported from China, arms, ammunition, parts and accessories worth $197.16 million in 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Top on the bill was the importation of parts of military weapons, revolvers, pistols/muzzle-loading firearms amounting to $195.43million. Nigeria should not import swords, cutlasses, bayonets and lances and bombs, which it can produce locally. Let Nigeria aspire to be self-reliant in arms production. We must also be efficient in maintenance of military equipment.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported that the total military expenditure of Africa increased by 17 per cent between 2010 and 2019, reaching $41.2 billion in 2019. Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa countries are the biggest spenders, accounting for more than half of the continent’s spending. However, there is hope. The African defence industry is making some impact in the export markets, especially in the Middle East and Asia, where it competes with other major suppliers, such as China, Russia, and the United States.
It is encouraging that Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Sudan have established production facilities for small arms and light weapons, which are needed for their internal security and defence. Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa have also invested in naval and aerospace industries, which are vital for their regional and continental projection and influence.
It is expected that the planned military cooperation between Nigeria and China in domestic production of military equipment, both kinetic and non-kinetic will enhance our capacity to produce arms and decimate the terrorists and other criminals. Considering the delays, stringent rules and regulations associated with arms importation abroad, the local production of arms has become imperative.
The other day, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, mooted the idea of recruiting skilled law-abiding citizens to locally produce firearms and military-grade equipment. The Nigeria/China collaboration in local manufacture of arms will complement that lofty dream.
Apart from making Nigeria self-reliant in arms production and conserving funds used for importing arms annually, the military cooperation with China might lead to Nigeria exporting arms to other countries. In some African countries, where arms production is already in place, they have created thousands of jobs and have contributed to the socio-economic development of these countries.
According to the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the defence industry in Africa employs more than 500,000 people directly and indirectly and generates about $20 billion in annual revenue. With time, we believe that the Nigerian defence industry will equally do the same and create more jobs. Therefore, the federal government should give the Nigeria/China military cooperation the needed impetus.