We need to be steps ahead of terrorists, bandits; beef up local production of arms – Osinbajo

Nigeria’s current security challenges and emerging threats require the country’s military and other relevant stakeholders to be several steps ahead of perpetrators while also stepping up local production of armaments.

This was one of the highlights of the response of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, after receiving a presentation on “Defense Transformation and National Security: Strategic Options for Nigeria of the Future”, by the National Defense College Course 30 participants, late Wednesday during a virtual interaction.

According to the Vice President, “if you look at the challenges that we are facing and the nature of those challenges, it is evident that we need to be many steps ahead of non-state actors in particular who are perpetrators of this asymmetric warfare that we are experiencing.”

Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo added that “it is clear that given current realities in our security situation, there is absolutely every need for us to fast-forward all our plans for the future so that we can be much more effective in dealing with the current threats and the threats that we will experience as we go into the future.

“One of the most critical areas is the question of local production of military hardware and I think it is a low-hanging fruit when it comes to manufacturing some of the hardware that we will need. I think that there is a need, especially now to really look very closely at local production of our hardware, beginning with armament.”

The Vice President while making a case for improved investment in Defense Industries Corporation (DICON), noted that “every country of the world takes advantage (in my view) of the crisis situation that it faces.”

According to him, “we mentioned India, Brazil, and even the more developed economies of the world, during the first world war, the second world war, it was these challenges that led to the development of their military-industrial complexes.

“We have a challenge today, there are so many zones where there are conflicts. Our law enforcement is spread out everywhere.”

Commending the course participants for their efforts in proposing innovations in the Defense sector, Prof. Osinbajo emphasized the urgency of the local production of arms.

“If we say the local companies should produce some of the mobile platforms like Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Multi-Role Armored Vehicle (MRAV), if we give them the contracts, they will produce, but if we choose to import rather than produce locally then we will never develop our military-industrial complex.”

The Vice President also spoke about the need for transparency in the management of resources meant for the acquisition of hardware for the Defense and security agencies.

“There needs to be more accountability because every time you hear about ‘we not having enough equipment,’ but there must be accountability. I will like to see a framework for greater accountability within the Ministry of Defense that ensures that they are able to account for military expenditure,” he said.

Earlier in a presentation on behalf of the Course 30 participants, Col. A. A. Adamu proposed, among other things, the restructuring of the Ministry of Defense to reflect contemporary challenges as well as contain emerging threats to Defense and security.

He also highlighted enhancing Nigeria’s Defense production capacity, leveraging technology and improving collaboration within and across Africa as determining factors for the effective transformation of Nigeria’s Defense and security sector.

Col. Adamu, on behalf of the course participants and the management of the National Defense College, prayed for the speedy recovery of the Vice President who is still recuperating, while thanking him for the opportunity to make the presentation.

Other officials present at the event included the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; the Commandant of the National Defense College, Rear Adm. Murtala Bashir, and representative of the Inspector General of Police, among other senior officers from the college.

Research report presentation by course participants to the Vice President is a prominent feature in the annual academic calendar of the National Defense College. Every year since 2016, participants of the college have presented reports of research conducted in key areas to the Vice President.

In 2019, Course 27 participants presented a paper on “Water Resource Management and Regional Security: Lake Chad in perspective”; in 2020, Course 28 presented a paper on “Border Management & National Development, in Nigeria: The ECOWAS Protocol Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Residence & Establishment in Perspective”, while Course 29’s paper, in 2021 was titled “Creating Jobs & Opportunities for Africa’s Largest Youth Population”.

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