Security agencies need 350m rounds of ammunition yearly – FG

The federal government said the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies need at least 350 million rounds of ammunition annually for their various operations, adding that it costs the government at least $2 per ammunition.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, who disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday, blamed past governments over what he described as “the nation’s failure to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of military hardware and defence equipment.

Matawalle spoke shortly after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding among the Ministry of Defence, Defence Industries Corporations of Nigeria (DICON) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering (NASENI) on the establishment of an ammunition production factory in Nigeria.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, said the signing of the MoU is a significant milestone in strengthening the nation’s defence capabilities and achieving self-reliance in the production of military hardware.

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Also speaking, the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, stated that the Ajaokuta Steel Plant provides a perfect platform for the Military Industrial Complex.