Nigeria to become superpower in military equipment production – Defence chief

He, however, noted that efforts are underway to revive and sustain production.

“Sometimes we gain traction and then it goes down, but now, with the signing of the DICON Bill, we are going to make sure it is sustainable. People are interested, people are coming in, we are having a lot of partners going into it, and I can assure you that in a few years, Nigeria too will be a superpower in producing its own equipment,” General Musa stated.

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“We used to assemble guns from DICON but it stopped, that is being restored now. We produce our own ammunition now. Directly we do that for small calibre 7.62mm, we do that and 9mm, we also do that,” he said.

He revealed plans to expand production capabilities further, saying, “We want to do the 5.6 and then go to the higher calibres from 12.7 and above. So those are the things we are working on. You know, the funny thing is that the Nigerian DICON started 60 years last year, the same time as Brazil’s. Brazil is producing unmanned aircraft and unmanned submarines, they have gone very far, and we want to achieve that.”

The CDS emphasised the economic benefits of local military production, stating it would create employment for the youth, improve foreign exchange, and position Nigeria as a regional supplier of military equipment.