Nigeria urged to prioritize indigenous defense technology

Retired Major General Nnaemeka Maduegbunam, former Director-General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), has called for Nigeria to prioritize indigenous technology to achieve self-reliance in defense production.

Speaking at the launch of his book, ‘We Can Do It – Towards Nigeria’s Self-Reliance in Science and Technology’, in Abuja, Maduegbunam argued that foreign nations do not transfer valuable technology for free. He noted that while foreign vendors requested between $8 billion and $12 billion to refurbish DICON, the organization was successfully revived with approximately $1 billion by focusing on internal resources.

Maduegbunam highlighted DICON’s capacity to manufacture and refurbish equipment locally, including the production of the OBJ-06 AK-47 rifle and the ‘Ezugwu’ Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. He emphasized that harnessing the expertise of local engineers and technicians can resolve equipment challenges at a lower cost and reduce dependence on foreign vendors.