Why I Approved The DICON Act So Quickly Within Six Months, President Tinubu Reveals

Why I Approved The DICON Act So Quickly Within Six Months, President Tinubu Reveals

President Bola Tinubu has said his passion to see to the speedy growth of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Nigeria’s Military Industrial Complex that would propel Nigeria to be self-sufficient in military hardware the reason he signed the DICON Act 2023 into law within first six months in office.

He said National security remains a top priority of his administration, and the contemporary security challenges require tying into the concept of the Whole of Government and Society Approach to resolve them decisively.

The president said this on Wednesday, August 14, while delivering his remarks at the 60th anniversary of DICON and the maiden African Defence Industries Conference in Abuja.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, President Tinubu said DICON, which was established in 1964 with a mandate to achieve self-reliance in the country’s defence capabilities, had become “a cornerstone of Nigeria’s military-industrial complex, producing ammunition and equipment that support Nigeria’s military and security agencies.”

The president who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event said the new DICON law had created the right environment for the corporation to get equipped with modern automated production lines and production systems.

He said: “Today, DICON has the most significant market potential in Africa and is repositioned to leverage the vast potential of the private sector to pursue innovations and technologies that will ramp up our indigenous defence productions.

“I am happy to see the progress towards establishing our first uncrewed or unmanned aerial and land vehicle automated production lines. These lofty steps would indeed bring us closer to the rest of the world, and no doubt significantly impact our current efforts to defeat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in our country.”

The president said that with the signing of the DICON Act 2023, Nigeria marked a new era for DICON, by positioning it as the arrowhead of its Military Industrial Complex, “providing a robust framework to drive our strategic objectives in defence manufacturing and technology and supporting the modernisation of our Armed Forces to address national and subregional security challenges.”

He said the launch of the DICON Evolution Strategy and Road Map 2030 on Wednesday, which was based on the DICON Act 2023, was “aimed to bridge performance gaps in our Military Industrial Complex and reposition DICON as a global player, as was long envisaged by our founding fathers.”

The president said that the strategy aligns primarily with two key priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration, which is “strengthening national security and accelerating economic diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, manufacturing, and innovation.”

He said having realized that industrialisation and innovation are capital-intensive ventures but necessary for the growth of any nation, his administration would invest “substantially in DICON to ensure it delivers on its mandate efficiently within the 2030 roadmap timeframe.”

“The upgraded capabilities emerging from this strategy will significantly enhance our defence infrastructure, ensuring peace and prosperity for our nation.”

He said: “The newly automated production lines for various categories of ammunition, Mine Resistant Ambush Patrol Vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carrier, drones, and unmanned ground vehicles, for instance, will provide our armed forces with advanced equipment tailored to our contemporary challenges providing our troops with the required advantage over our adversaries.

“Introducing the BAT A-1 Specialised Assault Rifle and its production line will address small arms proliferation issues while equipping our security operatives with modern fighting capabilities.

“The proposed state-of-the-art micro motherboard processing facility will be the backbone of robotics and artificial intelligence innovations, leveraging resources from our newly inaugurated lithium development plant in Nasarawa State.

“Expanding our production capabilities and enhancing our research and development efforts will create jobs, develop human capital, and stimulate economic growth. Establishing a tech hub and Research and Development (R&D) lab in Abuja will provide the enabling environment and attract young talent to foster a culture of Innovation, driving Nigeria’s defence industry forward.”

He said the maiden Africa Defence Industries Conference, was a platform for forging strategic partnerships to enhance our capabilities and promote regional security.

“I invite our international partners to join us as we work together to build a safer and more prosperous Africa,” the President said.