Nigeria could achieve greater self-sufficiency in arms and ammunition production within five to 10 years, reducing its dependence on foreign suppliers, the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON)-D7G has said. NigerianNews Updates
DICON–D7G is a joint venture company formed through a partnership between the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and D7G Limited
The company also plans to expand local manufacturing and assembly of military hardware, including tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs), boats and drones, as the country intensifies efforts to strengthen its domestic defence industry.
Its Director of Logistics and Marketing, Brig.-Gen Morakinyo Abiodun (rtd.), stated these on Tuesday at the Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX) at Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Abiodun said Nigeria had made significant progress in indigenous arms production over the past five years, citing the DG103 weapon manufactured locally at DICON’s factory in Kaduna under an agreement with his company. NigerianNews Updates
He said some other weapons displayed at the exhibition were assembled in Nigeria, with full local production planned in the long term. NigerianNews Updates
“In another five to 10 years, Nigeria should be good in production of its own arms and ammunition without relying on importation from external countries,” he said. NigerianNews Updates
The projected expansion comes amid persistent security challenges across the country, raising questions about the availability of weapons and ammunition for troops fighting insurgency and other threats.
Abiodun, however, said domestic production alone would not guarantee that military personnel received the equipment they needed, identifying funding for procurement as a major constraint.
“Well, it’s one thing to produce. It’s another thing to get the funding for the forces to buy what they require. So even if we have more than enough, they have not paid for it, they can’t really get access to it. So that’s an issue,” he said.
He explained that DICON-D7G’s responsibility was to manufacture the equipment, while the armed forces needed sufficient funds to purchase it.
He also urged the government to provide adequate financing for the military, noting that the cost of defence equipment and ammunition placed considerable demands on national budgets.
“But the government has to look into it seriously to make funds available to the military and the services to ensure that they have what they need to tackle insecurity,” he said.
On its current production capacity, Abiodun said the company was manufacturing 7.62x39mm ammunition in Kaduna, a calibre used by many rifles, to improve local availability and reduce difficulties associated with sourcing supplies abroad.
He added that the company planned to launch what he described as Nigeria’s first military jetty the following month at Tedi Village, near Ojo and Tin Can Island in Lagos.
The planned facility is expected to support the company’s broader ambitions to manufacture, assemble and produce military hardware locally.
Abiodun said sustained patronage by the Nigerian Armed Forces would be important to developing domestic production capacity, allowing manufacturers to address technical shortcomings and improve their products based on operational feedback.
On weapons maintenance, he said the company also repaired and maintained equipment supplied to the armed forces.
Abiodun stressed the combination of local production, government funding and continued improvements in manufacturing would help Nigeria build a stronger defence industry and gradually reduce its reliance on imported military equipment.
