After long spells in which Nigerian soldiers were outfoxed and run ragged in the ongoing war against terror in the North-East region, owing largely to poor kitting, the country is now set to launch out as a major military weapon manufacturer. This is a natural course of action for a country positioning itself as a regional power that has not only fought a civil war, but has remained a major contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations in different parts of the world.
Coming at a critical time in the ongoing counterinsurgency offensive against the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram, the announcement by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, on February 13 of a partnership with Poland, South Africa, India, Turkey and Pakistan in weapons production is bound to breathe new life into the country’s security and military operations. It is an inspiring step that will remind the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, the country’s weapons manufacturing firm, of its failure so far to fulfil the dreams of its founding fathers.
Established by an Act of Parliament in 1964, with a German firm, Fritz Werner, as the technical partner, DICON’s mandate includes the “… manufacture and supply of arms and ammunition as well as inspecting, testing and recommending ordnance material intended for use by the armed forces and other security organisations, while using excess capacity to support the development of local industries.” But more than 50 years after it was established, the company has remained a bit player in an industry that is fast becoming the launch pad for industrialisation in other parts of the world.
The country, whose frail internal security system has been variously exploited on many fronts, with Niger Delta militants buffeting it in the southern tip, Boko Haram leading insurrection in the North-East and several forms of ethno-sectarian crises tearing across the land, has almost entirely relied on foreign weapons for any form of self-defence. The danger of this heavy reliance on foreign sources for critical military weapons was rudely brought to the fore when the United States placed an embargo on the sale of arms to Nigeria in 2014, citing the alleged poor human rights record of the military.
The subsequent embarrassment of South Africa having to impound $15 million cash shipped into its territory in a cash-for-arms deal that went awry could have been averted if Nigeria had a thriving defence industry. This is what the new partnership is supposed to address, according to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai. “The partnership will, among other things, consider the transfer of skills and technological innovations for the advancement of our armed forces,” he said.
If there is anything the Nigerian military industry needs, it is that transfer of skills and technology. It is no longer a secret that the ongoing war against Boko Haram has exposed the dire state of the Nigerian defence industrial setup; it has been a story of arrested development. Information from the DICON website indicates that the company has “performed some engineering feat” of producing some prototype medium range weapons, namely 60 mm mortar, 81 mm mortar, RPG-7, and “assault rifle similar to AK 47.” It has also been credited with the production of Army Field Kitchens, military ceremonial swords and some ammunition.
But when compared with some of its contemporaries, it is clear that Nigeria has been left behind in the global arms race. The Brazilian industry, for instance, which started in the early 1960s just as Nigeria’s, has undergone such rapid development and sophistication that its products are now sought after even in the United States and other Western countries. Some of the Brazilian products that have attracted interest in the US include the Embraer range of aircraft and the A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft. The pursuit of its dream in military aircraft production has also led to a well-developed civil aircraft industry that has become the envy of many other countries. This development is not just limited to Brazil but cuts across the Latin American countries.
It is also true that the five countries Nigeria is partnering also boast well-developed military production skills, but it is the ability to maximise the benefits in the partnership that matters. Without doubt, these partners may be first and foremost interested in selling arms to Nigeria, as some of them are already doing, yet Nigeria stands to gain a lot, especially in skill acquisition in helicopter and armoured tank making. Details of the partnership should be worked out in a way as to facilitate self-sufficiency in local arms manufacture.
Most importantly, most of these countries have been able to achieve what they have done by partnering the private sector. Considering the huge potential in it for Nigeria – especially in the area of saving scarce foreign exchange – the government should not hesitate in bringing in competent private sector investors into the business of running DICON.
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