L-R: The DG of DICON, Maj.-Gen. Aniedi Edet, the GOC 1 Division Nigeria Army, Maj.-Gen Valentine Okoro and the Deputy Commandant of NDA, AVM Sunday Aneke at the DICON management staff seminar on Wednesday in Kaduna

By Sani Idris

Maj.-Gen. Aniedi Edet, Director-General (DG) of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), says Nigeria’s security challenges demand indigenous military capabilities to summount.

Edet said this at the opening of a two-day DICON management staff seminar which began on Wednesday in Kaduna.

He said the current realities in Nigeria, as security challenges being faced, demanded military capabilities.

He added that most of the capabilities given to the armed forces were not from DICON, hence the difficulties to buy defence wares from outside the country.

Citing the repatriation of foreign exchange, Edet said it took time for defence capabilities to arrive in the country.

He, therefore, stressed the imperatives of stepping up indigenisation to meet up the defence needs in the country.

The DG said the significance of the seminar was to foster the mandate of DICON which was to achieve self-reliance in defence material productions in support of national development and security.

“Since taking over as DG DICON in July 2023, my management team and I have been committed towards achieving the corporation’s mandate based on my pillars/philosophy,” he said .

He mentioned his pillars and philosophy to include business oriented mind set; professionalism, communication, welfare of staff as well as collaboration and partnership.

The DG explained that the road map to achieving the broad objectives was to quickly identify and pursue vigorously the desired changes that were within the corporation’s realm and resources to execute.

He, therefore, solicited the intervention of Ministry of Defence on the concerns that were outside their resources.

He restated DICON’s commitment to excellence, resilience, and synergy that echoed through the factories of the corporation.

He reassured that the seminar would serve as a catalyst for greater achievements and collective work towards a more secured and prosperous Nigeria.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigeria Army, Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. Valentine Okoro, said in his point of view operationally, he had realised that the security threats the nation faced was
enormous.

Cross section of participants at the DICON’s management staff seminar on Wednesday in Kaduna

According to him, the critical game changer is the deployment of the
right equipment.

Okoro added that the current realities in Nigeria, however, showed that getting the equipment from outside the
shores of Nigeria could be challenging due to international
politics/bureaucracy and other forces.

He lamented that the equipment were sometimes very expensive or unsuitable for the nation’s
terrain.

“That is why the idea of our founding fathers to establish DICON in 1964 was a noble one. As GOC, I am particularly happy that DICON has positioned
itself to live up to her mandate under the leadership of Maj.-Gen. Edet.

“The seminar is very important, the impact DICON products would make on our operations are enormous.

“The theme which harps on repositioning DICON for effective productivity and quality service delivery is key to the Nigerian Army.”

He said this was because productivity and service delivery were things that would create multiplier effects on all operations,” Okoro said. (NAN)