The Director General of Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, DICON, Major General Aniedi Edet, disclosed on Tuesday that the organisation has resumed production of ammunition, which had hitherto been stalled for quite some time.
He also said DICON recently supplied about four million rounds of ammunition to the Nigerian Army.
OsunDailyNG recalls that DICON, a state-run corporation operated by the Nigerian Armed Forces, was established in 1964 for the production of defence equipment and civilian products.
Edet disclosed this while on a courtesy visit to the GOC 3 Division of the Nigerian Army Rukuba-Jos, Plateau State.
He said: “Over the years, DICON has been doing its best to live up to its mandate. But perhaps, a lot of people feel that DICON should do much more, and that mandate was strengthened last year when President Bola Tinubu signed the DICON Bill 2023 into law. Now we have a new act, the DICON Act 2023, which will soon be gazetted.”
According to him: “One of the centrepieces of that act is building a Nigerian military industrial complex with DICON as a hub, incorporating so many defence-related industries in Nigeria, over the potential and capabilities of meeting our defence needs. It is one of these mandates and aspirations that brought me to Jos.
The DICON DG commended the GOC and commander of Operation Safe Have, OPSH, for his efforts in ensuring peaceful coexistence in his area of responsibility.
“When we at DICON hear reports coming from this area, the question in my mind is, how do we support you more? I’m glad to inform you that we have resumed the production of ammunition, which has been stalled for some time.
“As I speak to you, the factories are rolling, and we are turning out a good batch of 7.62/51mm. Just last month, we supplied about four million rounds of ammunition to the Nigerian Army. We are also arranging some range of weapons, they are new and we feel will enhance your operation,” he stressed.
While appreciating the visit, the GOC and commander of OPSH, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, said Edet’s appointment as DG DICON is like putting a round peg in a round hole.
“I know you will bring a lot of innovations to the table because you are a fellow who likes thinking outside the box. I’m sure soon, we will hold our own within the sub-West African region and perhaps within sub-Saharan Africa,” he maintained.
