Abuja: Retired Maj.-Gen. Nnaemeka Maduegbunam, former Director-General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), has urged Nigeria to prioritise indigenous technology to achieve self-reliance in defence production. Maduegbunam made the call on Thursday, at the public presentation of his book, ‘We Can Do It – Towards Nigeria’s Self-Reliance in Science and Technology,’ in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Maduegbunam emphasized that the revitalisation of DICON demonstrated Nigeria’s capability to develop sophisticated defence equipment without excessive reliance on foreign vendors. He highlighted that while foreign vendors had demanded between eight billion and 12 billion dollars to refurbish DICON, the organisation was revived with about one billion dollars by leveraging local resources and expertise.
He further noted that many equipment challenges could be resolved locally at a relatively low cost if the country harnessed its engineers, technicians, and available resources. Maduegbunam stressed the need for Nigeria to overcome the misconception that valuable technology could be simply transferred by foreign partners without significant investment.
The former DICON boss highlighted that indigenous capacity, discipline, innovation, and sustained institutional support were crucial to achieving self-reliance. He also noted that DICON had demonstrated its ability to refurbish and produce defence equipment, saving the country substantial resources, including an intervention that saved about five billion naira.
In his remarks, Prof. Bathlomew Nnaji, former Minister of Power and Chairman of the occasion, praised Maduegbunam’s achievements at DICON, noting the ingenuity and brilliance within the Nigerian military. Nnaji emphasized that DICON was critical to Nigeria’s survival and progress, and local production of defence equipment would help reduce costs, conserve foreign exchange, and strengthen national technological capacity.
Retired Gen. Martin-Luther Agwai, former Chief of Defence Staff, described Maduegbunam as a knowledgeable and innovative officer who significantly contributed to the Armed Forces and the nation. Agwai noted that the revitalisation of DICON involved important political and diplomatic dimensions, particularly in the refurbishment of G3 rifles.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, commended Maduegbunam for promoting indigenous solutions to the Army’s equipment and technical challenges. Represented by Maj.-Gen. Adeyinka Adereti, the Corps Commander of the Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NAEME), Shaibu noted that the army’s pursuit of home-grown solutions was consistent with its drive to reduce dependence on external solutions while strengthening local capacity.
The Corps Commander also recalled Maduegbunam’s initiative to modify a mobile field kitchen as an example of converting operational requirements into indigenous technical solutions. He announced a pledge to purchase 20 copies of Maduegbunam’s book on behalf of the COAS and the Corps, with a personal commitment to five copies.
The event saw the attendance of former defence and army chiefs, including retired Gen. Lucky Irabor, retired Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, and Tukur Buratai, along with other serving and retired officers, as well as traditional rulers.