The Commandant, National Defence College, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade, has said the military will soon manufacture military hardware.
Rear Admiral Alade spoke in Abuja yesterday while addressing State House correspondents after he led Course 24 partcipants on a visit to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House.
He said the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) in Kaduna would be strengthened to produce arms while the military industrial complex will produce military equipment.
“We have an institution established basically to help develop production of hardware.
“That is the Defence Industry Corporation, which is located at Kaduna.
“That institution is being strengthened; I believe that in the new dispensation a lot of things will start happening.
“As we speak, they produce rifles and some other hardware.
“But I can assure you that we have started.
“Just recently, we had a workshop with South Africa and that workshop was held at the college.
“We want to develop our military industrial complex and within that framework we will manufacture hardware and even the software as well.”
In August 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Ministry of Defence to design a plan for a military industrial complex for the local production of weapons.
He gave the directive at the graduation of Course 23 participants in Abuja.
Buhari said such weapons would meet some requirements of the armed forces.
The President had described as unacceptable, Nigeria’s over-dependence on other countries for critical military equipment and logistics.
Rear Admiral Alade said the group visited the Vice President to submit policy proposals to the Federal Government on how to effectively administer the country.
He said the proposal emanated from the workshop at the college, with the topic: “Youth Bulge in Nigeria and its implication for National Security”.
Rear Admiral Alade said the presentation was a way of contributing to national development and security.