Steel Ministry, DICON Target Local Steel For Defence Production
The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, says Nigeria will soon commence local steel production to boost the country’s defence production capabilities.
Prince Audi said this during a visit to the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) in Kaduna.
The minister said he was impressed with the progress made by the DICON under the leadership of Major General Anaedi Edet.
“I have seen rifles, bullets, and ammunition being produced here. About 20 million rounds of ammunition are produced annually, with rifle production reaching 2,500 units per quarter,” he noted.
The assured that the importation of the raw materials, especially steel, mainly from China and other countries will be reduced.
He stated, “Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we aim to produce steel materials locally to bridge this gap. We have iron ore, dolomite, limestone – everything needed for steel production in Nigeria.”
Prince Audu said that the ministry would broaden collaboration with DICON and expand existing partnership.
“We are in advance talks to finalise an MoU with DICON, the Ministry of Defence, and Ajaokuta for military hardware production, pending presidential approval.
“The future is bright for Nigeria. If we succeed, we will boost national security and enhance our defence manufacturing capabilities,” the minister said.
He added that the ministry also has an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC).
On his part, the Director-General of DICON said the military complex is leveraging the cooperation with ministries of Defence and Steel Development to expand its capacity.
Edet said, “We aim to be Africa’s leading force in defence manufacturing, through innovation and strategic partnerships.
“The minister’s visit gives us hope, we believe better prospects lie ahead, as he has rightly said. Steel is our core raw material for weapons, ammunition, and other defence systems.”
Edet said most of the steel used at DICON is currently imported, and expressed optimism that the the new cooperation offers hope for improvement.
The DG, who described the visit as significant, assured the Minister that DICON would continue to utilise available resources to make Nigeria proud.
