Nigeria’s military strength crucial for economic growth, says security expert
A security expert, Ade Ogundeyin, has stated that the nation’s military strength is crucial for its economic growth and social development.
Ogundeyin, the Chief Executive Officer of PROFORCE Limited, said this on Wednesday while delivering a lecture at the Defence Research and Development Annual Seminar and Exhibition held at the Sani Abacha Hall of the National Defence Collge in Abuja.
In a statement on Thursday signed by his media aide, Kayode Nariwo, Ogundeyin added that capacity building on the domestic scene will attract self-reliance and bridge the gap of over-dependence on foreign nations for defence equipment.
He said, “The military strength of any nation is dependent on its technological development through collaborations with Defence Related Industries which in turn creates jobs and boosts economic growth and social development.
“When we build capacity to manufacture our equipment and integrate other technologies, we can design solutions that will meet specific requirements of the end-user and also provide satisfactory understanding for easy maintenance and upgrade of the system.”
He further stated that the Federal Government’s efforts towards addressing the need for local manufacturing of defence equipment led to the establishment of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, the Defence Industrial Corporation of Nigeria and the Special Vehicle Plant among others.
Ogundeyin called on relevant stakeholders in the business of defence to enact policies that will create a conducive environment and regulation that will guide defence production, procurement, industrial activities and collaborations with local and international partners.
He proffered that allocation of adequate funds through the budget to the sector will enhance Research and Development aimed at improving defence infrastructure adding that Security and Intelligence support provides critical infrastructure needed to protect defence companies and its operations.
He said, “The private sector plays a complementary role in leveraging innovations, entrepreneurship and operational efficiency to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s military-industrial complex which dovetails into manufacturing and production capacity, technology advancement, skill development, capacity building, backward integration, technology transfer and local content development among others.”
The PROFORCE chief also highlighted the collaboration between public and private sectors through joint ventures, strategic alliances, joint research and development, innovation clusters and defence ecosystem.
Present at the event were the Ministers of Defence; Science, Technology and Innovation, the Service Chiefs and Heads of Security Agencies, captains of industries, and government officials, among others.
