The Nigerian Government says, it is expecting the delivery of the Super Tucano from the United States on July 21st.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Musa Istifanus, said this at the 2021 Summit of Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria.
He said, the Federal Government will also provide funding for research in military hardware production.
Speaking at the summit with the theme, Re-Engineering DICON Towards Meeting National and Defence Needs, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Musa Istifanus, said the country cannot afford to depend on other countries for its military hardware, considering its current security challenges.
Istifanus explained that, the country had spent one billion dollars in acquiring weapons for the insecurity war, noting that four hundred and ninety-six million dollars were paid for the super Tucanos, which are expected on July 21st.
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The Director-General of DICON, Major General Moses Uzoh, said the corporation’s vision is to meet the material requirements of the armed forces and other security agencies.
He noted that it is more compelling now to meet the presidential executive order five, in local content production, given the level of insecurity.
According to the Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Professor Mohammed Haruna, to address insecurity, the federal government must factor the military into its development plan.
The summit emphasised the need to increase local production in military hardware, to meet the requirements of the armed forces.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
