By Muhammad Tijjani
The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, says his ministry will broaden collaboration with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) in military hardware production.
Prince Audu made this known during a working visit to DICON on Thursday in Kaduna.
He said, “We are already collaborating with DICON, but we want to expand the partnership further.”
He added there is an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC).
“We are in advanced talks to finalise an MoU with DICON, the Ministry of Defence, and Ajaokuta for military hardware production, pending presidential approval.
“The future is bright for Nigeria. If we succeed, we will boost national security and enhance our defence manufacturing capabilities,” said.
The Minister said he was impressed with the progress made under the leadership of the DICON Director-General, Maj.-Gen. Anaedi Edet.
“I have seen rifles, bullets, and ammunition being produced here.
“About 20 million rounds of ammunition are produced annually, with rifle production reaching 2,500 units per quarter,” he noted.
However, he observed the raw materials, especially steel, are imported mainly from China and other countries.
He stated, “Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we aim to produce steel materials locally to bridge this gap.
“We have iron ore, dolomite, limestone—everything needed for steel production in Nigeria,” he added.
On his part, the DG of DICON said the agency is leveraging cooperation between the ministries of Defence and Steel Development.
Edet said, “We aim to be Africa’s leading force in defence manufacturing, through innovation and strategic partnerships.
“The Minister’s visit gives us hope. We believe better prospects lie ahead, as he has rightly said.
“The Minister has seen steel is our core raw material for weapons, ammunition, and other defence systems.
According to him, most steel used at DICON is currently imported, but the new cooperation offers hope for improvement.
He said, “This visit is significant. We appreciate the Minister for taking time from his tight schedule to visit DICON.”
He assured the Minister that DICON would continue to utilise available resources to make Nigeria proud.
Trending
![Ramadan Day 21: Prayers, Dua, and Hadith for the last 10 nights [Why Islam]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2F526e9bc0-be98-40de-ad44-e718351cb1e9.jpg&w=256&q=75)
![Why some women feel pain during sex [BellaNaija]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2F214adb61-d116-47d7-866e-b5c771a21ac5.jpg&w=256&q=75)
![Must-watch films & series for this weekend [Meta AI]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F21032025%2Fe770e6c5-833d-458f-8fac-08af56ec036c.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![10 African currencies stronger than the Naira [Premium Times Nigeria]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F21032025%2F481aa3e2-7327-4777-bd20-556830d8f9de.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![True friends stab you in the front, fake ones stab you in the back." [YouTube]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F21032025%2Fd148111c-ab2d-4ce7-9551-a4d00d9ed935.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![How to spot fake friends who secretly don’t like you [iStock]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2Fe4945bb3-8d86-4826-8456-513f6bba9c57.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![L-R: Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Reps, Abbas Tajudeen. [Facebook]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F21032025%2F0316a253-dc1d-430b-b453-ab02c18f80e7.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![Ramadan Day 21: Prayers, Dua, and Hadith for the last 10 nights [Why Islam]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2F526e9bc0-be98-40de-ad44-e718351cb1e9.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![Senator Natasha Akpoti. [Facebook]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F19032025%2F332a01e8-d093-48a3-bd27-d4bb04612258.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![$11m mismanaged: What Nollywood can learn from Hollywood’s Netflix scandal [Youtube]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2F8f5c2aee-5196-4e27-8388-e06f2cd06ce8.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![Nollywood actress, Idia Aisien set for stage debut in London [Instagram/@idiaaisien]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2Ff90feb5a-ec6d-4f69-85dd-db62982f6f9e.png&w=3840&q=75)
![Mrs Maria Ochefu, founder of the popular Mammy Markets in military barracks across Nigeria. [X, formerly Twitter]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2F81327b19-bf5e-4ca5-b5cc-c3c98e728259.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![Former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha. [Facebook]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F21032025%2Fe08dae50-b84c-4300-b309-32f6f2f75d63.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![Hollywood filmmaker accused of swindling $11M from Netflix [BBC News]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2Fa1e9a670-7556-450e-8227-0a65eafb5301.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
![Why some women feel pain during sex [BellaNaija]](https://www.pulse.ng/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.api.sportal365.com%2Fprocess%2F%2Fsmp-images-production%2Fpulse.ng%2F20032025%2F214adb61-d116-47d7-866e-b5c771a21ac5.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
No comments:
Post a Comment