Insurgency: Reps task DICON on military hardware production, intensive research

The House of Representatives Committee on Defence on Thursday charged the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to engage in intensive research and production of military hardware.

The chairman of the committee, Babajimi Benson, gave the charge when the DICON Director-General Major General HG Tafida appeared before the committee for the defence of the agency’s 2023 budget.

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He said the committee was pleased that since its establishment in 1964, DICON’s role in the production of military hardware had significantly impacted on the Armed Forces. 

“However, this committee urges you to expand your boundaries by engaging in intensive research and production of military hardware that’ll not only support the ongoing fight against insurgency and other security challenges in Nigeria, but also available for export. 

“We’re dissatisfied that so far, only the Nigerian Army patronises DICON. We believe that the DICON management must explore avenues of expanding its scope and drawing larger patronage from more agencies both in the public and private sector.”