Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, says Nigeria is rebranding its Defence Industries Corporation to standardise local production, strengthen security and boost indigenous military capacity.
He said the military was collaborating with indigenous defence manufacturers to produce what is needed locally sufficiently.
Musa stated this yesterday while briefing newsmen on the forthcoming Maiden African Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference, which is billed to hold from August 25 to August 27 in Abuja.
The defence chief said the new approach would ensure all companies producing defence-related equipment work under the Defence Industries Corporation, with mandatory approval from the National Security Adviser’s office and the Ministry of Defence.
He noted that Nigeria had begun procuring armoured vehicles, drones, and other military hardware from local firms such as ProForce and Imperium while retrofitting damaged equipment to extend service life.
The CDS said the move would not only enhance national security but also create jobs, open export markets to neighbouring countries, and instil national pride in homegrown defence capabilities.
“We want to synergise and harmonise their work, standardise it, and make sure the equipment we produce does not get into the wrong hands.
“We have the ProForce, we have the Emperium, and EPAIL. We have so many of them that also produce one or two things together.
“Now, what we are doing is rebranding the entire defence industry corporation so that all companies that are coming to work on anything defence must have approval.
“Why we need to do that is so that we can synergise and harmonise their work, standardise it, and make sure that those equipment we produce do not enter wrong hands.
General Musa said, “Producing defence equipment locally would help enhance capabilities and create employment for Nigerians, adding that it would be a win-win situation for the country.”
On regional cooperation, he emphasised the need for African countries to work together against asymmetric threats, which he said “do not respect borders,” and called for stronger collaboration through the African Standby Force, whose establishment he said is still a work in progress.
“Despite our different doctrines, we are able to work together as Africans, neighbours, brothers and sisters to achieve common security goals,” he said.
Musa added that the Armed Forces were actively engaging local innovators, including young Nigerians producing drones and weapon prototypes, to develop their skills for the country’s benefit.
