President Bola Tinubu has announced plans for significant investments in the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to enhance its capabilities and ensure it achieves its mandate by 2030.
This commitment was made during DICON’s 60th anniversary celebration in Abuja on Wednesday, where the President was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
DICON, established in 1964 with the goal of bolstering Nigeria’s national security through the production of weapons and military equipment, has played a crucial role in supporting the Armed Forces and security agencies. The corporation was initially founded to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on foreign arms, especially in the context of national defense.
In his speech, President Tinubu praised DICON’s contributions over the past six decades, noting that the corporation’s ammunition production was pivotal during the Nigerian Civil War, helping to preserve the country’s unity. He emphasized that DICON now holds the most significant market potential in Africa and is positioned to capitalize on private sector partnerships to drive innovation and increase indigenous defense production.
“DICON was established in 1964 with a visionary mandate to achieve self-reliance in our defense capabilities. Over the past 60 years, this institution has become a cornerstone of Nigeria’s military-industrial complex, producing ammunition and equipment that support our Armed Forces and security agencies,” Tinubu stated.
He continued, “We recall with pride that in 1966, barely two years after its establishment, DICON’s ammunition production contributed significantly to the preservation of our country during the civil war, leading to the unity we now enjoy. Today, DICON has the most significant market potential in Africa and is repositioned to leverage the vast potential of the private sector to pursue innovations and technologies that will ramp up our indigenous defense productions.”
Looking ahead, President Tinubu pledged that his administration would make substantial investments in DICON to ensure it meets its strategic objectives by 2030. This would include upgrading the corporation’s capabilities, which would, in turn, enhance Nigeria’s overall defense infrastructure.
“To this end, my administration will invest substantially in DICON to ensure it delivers on its mandate efficiently within the 2030 roadmap timeframe. The upgraded capabilities emerging from this strategy will significantly enhance our defense infrastructure, ensuring peace and prosperity for our nation,” Tinubu said.
One of the key areas of progress highlighted by the President was DICON’s advancements in the production of unmanned aerial and land vehicles.
Tinubu expressed optimism that these developments would bring Nigeria closer to global defense standards and significantly impact the country’s efforts to combat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.
“I am happy to see the progress towards establishing our first uncrewed or unmanned aerial and land vehicle automated production lines. These lofty steps would indeed bring us closer to the rest of the world, and no doubt significantly impact our current efforts to defeat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in our country,” Tinubu remarked.
