DICON @ 60: Defence Ministry favours locally made products, bans some arms importation

Chidimma Uchegbu, Abuja

The Ministry of Defence, has placed restrictions on importation of certain caliber of arms and ammunition into the country.

The ministry said the restrictions were in accordance with the new defence industries corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Act signed by President Bola Tinubu, in November 2023.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Kana, reiterated these restrictions, while fielding questions from newsmen at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

He also noted that the ministry equally ordered ministries, departments and agencies of the government, seeking to procure arms and ammunition to clear with it before going ahead with the procurement to ensure that arms and ammunition that could be sourced locally are not purchased from foreign companies.

Kana further explained that the ministry also barred bureau of public enterprises (BPE), from issuing no-objection to MDAs seeking to procure some caliber of arms and ammunition that were manufactured in Nigeria to protect the nation’s military industrial complex.

He said the new DICON Act actually provided a veritable platform to partner other indigenous companies to ensure local production of arms and ammunition.

The Act, he said further strengthened the relationship between DICON and other critical stakeholders, in making sure that the ministry of defence, and other security agencies procured from indigenous companies first, before thinking of going abroad.

According to him, “The law now makes it mandatory for us in the ministry of defence, the office of national security adviser, ministries of interior, police affairs and all other security organisations in Nigeria to prioritise locally manufactured arms and ammunition in their procurement.

“If you are procuring arms and ammunition using government funds, you have no right to procure abroad unless it is not produced in Nigeria. That is why the Minister of State for Defence, has mandated me to develop a clear system whereby any ministry, department or agency of government that is procuring arms and ammunition must seek clearance from the ministry.

“We have already written to the Bureau of public procurement not to issue any objection to any MDA, unless there is clearance from the minister of state through a committe in the ministry of defence. This is a good time for local production and this is time for people who have money to invest in the military industrial complex.

“The return on investment for any body that invests in military industrial complex is hundred percent, within five years period. The president has directed national agency for science and engineering infrastructure (NASENI), to partner with ministry of defence and we will sign an MoU to begin production of small ammunition in Nigeria.”