The Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, has assured of Federal Government’s commitment to upscale local production of military equipment for enhanced combat efficiency of the Armed Forces.
Magashi gave the assurance in Abuja at a two- day Stakeholders Public hearing on a Bill for an Act to Enact Nigerian Local Content Act to provide for the Development, Regulation and Enforcement of the Nigerian Content at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Mr Mohammad Abdulkadri, in a statement said the public hearing was organised by the Joint Senate and House Committees on Content Development and Monitoring.
Magashi, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Babangida Hussaini lauded the Executive Order 003 and 005 of 2017 and 2018 on local content.
He said the executive orders had engendered new template in empowering the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to attain higher indigenous productive levels.
According to him, the military is well motivated, mobilised and empowered to look inward to professionally implement the local content policy towards mitigating the problems associated with acquisition of platforms from foreign countries.
The minister said the recent inauguration of first locally manufactured Armoured Vehicles, MRAPS and some range of defence weapons was a result of local content development by the military.
According to him they include, Munitions, Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) as well as other related items and Civilian Products Manufactured by the military engineers at DICON.
He assured the lawmakers of his commitment to sustain the military’s trajectory in blazing the trail in the nation’s technological development.
He said the locally produced fighting equipment had drastically saved the country huge cost of importation of military hardwares.
