Military development has been described as a panacea for economic growth and societal improvement of any Nation. This was revealed by the Chief Executive Officer PROFORCE Limited, Mr. Ade Ogundeyin while delivering a lecture titled “The Role of Public and Private Sectors in the Development of a Robust Military Industrial Base in Nigeria” to participants of the Defence Research and Development Bureau Annual Seminar and Exhibition held at Sani Abacha hall of the National Defence College, Nigeria.
Mr Ogundeyin said the military strength of any Nation is dependent on its military technological development through collaborations with Defence Related Industries which in turn creates jobs and boosts economic growth.
He added that capacity building on the domestic scene will attract self-reliance and bridge the gap of over-dependence on foreign nations for defence equipment. ” When we build capacity to manufacture our equipment and integrate other technologies, we can design solutions that will meet specific requirements of the end-user and also provide satisfactory understanding for easy maintenance and upgrade of the system”, he said.
He further stated that the Federal Government’s efforts towards addressing the need for local manufacturing of defence equipment led to the establishment of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, the Defence Industrial Corporation of Nigeria and the Special Vehicle Plant among others.
Mr Ade Ogundeyin then called on relevant stakeholders in the business of defence to enact policies that will create a conducive environment and regulation that will guide defence production, procurement, industrial activities and collaborations with local and international partners.
He proffered that allocation of adequate funds through the budget to the sector will enhance Research and Development aimed at improving defence infrastructure adding that Security and Intelligence support provides critical infrastructure needed to protect defence companies and its operations.
The private sector, he said plays a complementary role in leveraging innovations, entrepreneurship and operational efficiency to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s military-industrial complex which dovetails into manufacturing and production capacity, technology advancement, skill development, capacity building, backward integration, technology transfer and local content development among others.
The PROFORCE chief also highlighted the collaboration between public and private sectors through joint ventures, strategic alliances, joint research and development, innovation clusters and defence ecosystem.
The event witnessed the gathering of who is who in Defence manufaturing sector, Minister of Defence and his Science, Technology and Innovation counterpart, the Service Chiefs and Heads of Security Agencies, captain of industries, government officials among others.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of souvenirs and group photograph.