Defence Minister Reaffirms Armed Forces Modernisation Plan

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to modernizing the Armed Forces through strategic partnerships, local capacity development, technology transfer and sustainable defence industrial cooperation.

The minister made the commitment during his working visit along with senior ministry officials to Monaco recently.
A statement by the Ministry of Defence signed by Enderline Chukwu, said this was coming on the back drop of the implementation of the proposed Multi-domain Hybrid Intelligence Shield (HIS) project for the Ministry of Defence where the Ministry’s officials have been engaging with MARSS UK Ltd and its Nigerian partner, MPS Mikopowers Ltd.

The statement said the visit focused on practical demonstrations, technical engagements and strategic discussions aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s national defence architecture through advanced command, control, surveillance and integrated security technologies.

The minister emphasized the importance of building indigenous operational capacity while leveraging international expertise to address emerging security threats, including terrorism, border insecurity, illegal mining, piracy and the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems.

He recalled that the ministry is the strategic brain of the nation’s defence architecture.

“We must therefore leverage technology for intelligence, surveillance and recurring service. We have partners and allies ready to support us. We will reach out to them to work as a team,” he added.

During the engagements, the Nigerian delegation observed live operational demonstrations of radar detection systems, artificial intelligence-enabled threat identification, drone interception capabilities and integrated national command and control solutions.

The sessions also covered the proposed establishment of national and regional command centres, mobile response units and a Centre of Excellence for simulation, training and doctrine development.

The visit also provided an opportunity for discussions on defence industry collaboration, local production support, technology integration and long-term partnership arrangements between Nigerian defence institutions and international stakeholders.

According to the statement, engagements are expected to further strengthen Nigeria’s ongoing efforts towards improving national security, enhancing inter-agency coordination and advancing the nation’s defence modernisation objectives.

The working visit forms part of Nigeria’s broader defence diplomacy and strategic engagement initiatives aimed at promoting regional stability, operational effectiveness and national resilience in an evolving global security environment.

The ministry said the delegation was received by officials of MARSS UK Ltd and MPS Mikopowers Ltd, who conducted detailed presentations and live demonstrations of the NiDAR integrated command and control system, anti-drone technologies, mobile surveillance platforms and border security solutions designed to strengthen Nigeria’s defence and security capabilities.