*Pix above: PBAT
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has revealed real reasons he quickly signed the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act into law within his first six months on assumption of office on May 29, 2023.
Speaking at the 60th anniversary celebration of DICON and inaugural African Defence Industries Conference on Wednesday, in Abuja, the president said: “My passion to see the speedy growth of DICON and Nigeria’s Military Industrial Complex motivated me to sign the DICON Act 2023 into law within my first six months in office.
“The right environment has thus been created for DICON to be equipped with modern automated production lines and production systems.
“ 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.
“With great pride, I stand before you today to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON). This milestone celebrates six decades of resilience and innovation. That we are celebrating this momentous occasion is a testament to our enduring commitment to national security and technological advancement.
“ DICON was established in 1964 with a visionary mandate to achieve self-reliance in our defence capabilities. Over the past sixty years, this institution has become a cornerstone of Nigeria’s military-industrial complex, producing ammunition and equipment that support our Armed Forces and Security Agencies.
‘ We proudly recall that in 1966, barely two years after its establishment, DICON’s ammunition production contributed significantly to the preservation of our country during the civil war, leading to the unity we now enjoy. 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.
“National security remains a top priority of my administration. The contemporary security challenges we face as a nation require tying into the concept of the Whole of Government and Society Approach to resolve them decisively. With the signing of the DICON Act 2023, we mark a new era for DICON, positioning it as the arrowhead of our 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 subre-gional security challenges.
“As we celebrate this diamond jubilee, we also embrace a renewed vision for the future, aligned with our administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said, adding that “the DICON Evolution Strategy and Road Map 2030, based on the DICON Act 2023 that we launch today, aims to bridge performance gaps in our Military Industrial Complex and reposition DICON as a global player, as was long envisaged by our founding fathers,” he further enthused./###
