The Nigerian Army on Wednesday, displayed its defence capabilities at the ongoing Abuja International Trade Fair.
It also showcased the technological advancement of the Nigerian defence industry.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that different products of the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Command Engineering Depot of Nigerian Army were displayed.
Among the products displayed were; Mine Resistance Anti Ambush Patrol (MRAP) vehicles, Infantry Patrol Vehicles (IPVs), tractor, 10KVA power generator and mobile borehole drilling machine, all manufactured locally by the DICON.
Other products were the bullet proof vests, helmets and boots, all manufactured by the corporation and Engineering depot in Kaduna.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonanya Onu, who was the special guest at the event, commended the leadership of the Nigerian army for the initiative.
Onu said that the achievement of the army in its research, development and innovation had raised hope for the greatness of the country.
“Nigeria is destined to be a great nation and our President, Muhammadu Buhari is committed to help lay the solid foundation for the greatness of our nation.
“One way we can achieve this, is to become self reliant and this is critical in national security.
“We have seen the problem that confronted us as a nation when the insurgency in the north east was at its peak and we needed to buy weapons for our armed forces.
“So, I am very happy that the Nigerian army is making this very important contribution and doing it out of research and development and innovation.
“What this means is that we can never go below this standard because we already have the skills, ” he said.
The minister urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratia, to continue to encourage the officers and men that had devoted their time and ability, to help the nation in the search for greatness.
He promised that the Ministry of Science and Technology would cooperate and collaborate with the army, as well as provide support in all areas necessary to advance the initiative.
Earlier, Buratai said that the event was to showcase the achievement of the DICON and Command Engineering Depot in their research and development effort.
Buratai disclosed that the decision of the army to set up DICON and the engineering depot, was borne out of the desire to look inward for most of its needs.
He explained that the various products on display were completely sourced locally and manufactured by the two entities.
According to him, the successes attained by the Nigerian army in particular, ranges from manpower development and capacity building, provision of adequate platform and other essential materials to boost its professional capacity.
“It is worthy to note that most of the requisite materials are imported which not only drain our foreign reserves but also impart negatively on the operational efficiency of the Nigerian army.
“There is therefore need for a sustained investment in research and development on military hardware, to reduce the over dependence on importation for logistics to shore up army capability, towards the contemporary security challenges.
“Army directed the depot in collaboration with DIC, to embark on research and development, to come up with what we have here today.
“All the products were fabricated here in Nigeria with foreign technical partners,” he said.
