Matawalle Pledges Support For Domestic Defence Industry

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Muhammad Matawalle, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering a robust domestic defence industry to meet the country’s security needs, as part of efforts to achieve self-reliance in military procurement.

Speaking during a meeting with a delegation from D7G Limited, a defence technology firm, at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Matawalle highlighted the importance of reducing Nigeria’s reliance on foreign defence supplies.

The delegation, led by D7G Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Osman Chennar, was part of ongoing engagements with licensed local defence manufacturers to bolster national defence production capabilities, in line with Nigeria’s Defence Industrialisation Policy.

In a statement released by the Minister’s media assistant, Ahmed Dan-Wudil, Matawalle praised D7G Limited for its investments in defence production infrastructure.

He underscored the administration of President Bola Tinubu’s focus on enhancing Nigeria’s military-industrial base to ensure strategic autonomy in arms production, logistics, and system sustainment.

D7G Limited, a member of the Defence Industries Association of Nigeria (DIAN), specialises in the research, design, manufacturing, and integration of military-grade systems and platforms.

The company’s efforts aligned with the government’s broader objective of building a sustainable defence ecosystem capable of addressing national security challenges.

Matawalle reiterated the Federal Government’s readiness to collaborate with qualified defence firms to strengthen local capabilities, signalling a strategic push towards self-sufficiency in Nigeria’s defence sector.