Nigeria To Start Producing Military Hardware, Says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said Nigeria could no longer depend on foreign countries for all its military needs.

He therefore asked that the Federal Ministry of Defence should plan for the country to establish a Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons.

According to the president, these weapons would meet some of the requirements of the country's armed forces.

Buhari who was at the graduation ceremony of the National Defence College, said it has become a shame to Nigeria to constantly rely on other countries when it has the manpower to produce what the country needs.

According to him, this is not acceptable.

The President also urged for support and cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram.

In recent times, some countries have refused to assist the Nigeria with equipment, especially in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency.

The United States of America only recently lifted a ban on its refusal to sell weapons to Nigeria.

While speaking graduation ceremony, Buhari said: "we must evolve viable mechanisms for near-self-sufficiency in military equipment and logistics production complemented only by very advanced foreign technologies.

"The Ministry of Defence is being tasked to draw up clear and measurable outlines for development of a modest Military Industrial Complex for Nigeria.

"In this regard, it is to liaise with other strategic MDAs and industries to re-engineer the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements.

Buhari, who said his administration had taken time to study the challenges and security threats facing Nigeria, added that his government recognised the external dimensions of these threats and the need for international cooperation and common security mechanisms to tackle them.

He also said his government remained convinced that the best approach to tackling these challenges and threats was to work within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to mobilise a collective regional effort in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.