Budget defence: Reps committee summons heads of security agencies over procurement of arms

The House of Representatives Committee on Defence on Thursday summoned all the Heads of the nation’s security agencies over their refusal to procure arms and ammunition from the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) based in Kaduna.

Rep. Taofeek Ajilesoro (PDP-Osun) moved the motion when the Director General, DICON Maj-Gen Hassan Tafida, appeared before the committee to defend the 2022 budget performance and 2023 budget proposal.

The DICON boss had accused other security agencies of not patronising it for the purchase of arms and ammunition from the corporation, adding that they rather preferred to go outside to buy.

This, according to him, was because there was no law stopping or compelling them from purchasing arms and ammunition from DICON.

According to him, “it is that perception that we cannot provide all the things they need, so they go outside and the law did not restrict them from going outside. So these are some of the things that needs to be corrected.

“This is why DICON must wake up from the status it was to a new status. We are making effort to ensure that the military-industrial complex is a reality in Nigeria.”

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He explained that other private sector were already coming in and building factories, stressing that producing the Armoured Personnel Carriers and also going into production of weapons and ammunition.

He said all that was needed to be put in place was the country’s own homegrown technology, saying if you wait to transfer technology from anywhere you will not get it so we have to start producing ours.”

Hon Babajimi Benson, the Chairman of the committee said there was the need to first source arms and ammunition locally before going outside.

He said the lawmakers would give it legal teeth compelling all security agencies to buy arms and ammunition from DICON.

According to him, “We can give it more legal teeth to ensure that it’s a law, I believe the way it should go is to ensure that we produce more arms locally as much as possible and also look at the possibility of enforcing it.

“Because we do not see why it is only the Army that is patronising DICON, the Air force and Navy should also as a matter of urgency patronise DICON.

“And by this, we will save foreign exchange, we will improve our local technology and our youths will have some forms of jobs.”