In a colourful event to mark the 60th anniversary of DICON and the maiden African Defence Industries Conference, H.E Bello Matawalle leads delegation to celebrate the agency achievement and chart the course forward to take the agency forward.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ably represented by the Secretary to the Government of the federation, Sen George Akume, in his address commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), celebrating six decades of resilience and innovation. Stating that DICON remains a cornerstone of the nation’s military-industrial complex, providing essential support to the Armed Forces and Security Agencies.
President Tinubu also shared his commitment to advancing DICON’s growth, emphasizing that within his first six months in office, he signed the DICON Act 2023 into law. This move has created the right environment for modernizing DICON’s production capabilities, including the development of automated production lines for unmanned aerial and land vehicles. These advancements, Tinubu believes, will significantly enhance Nigeria’s efforts to combat terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes.
In his conclusion he said The signing of the DICON Act 2023 marks a new era, positioning DICON as the arrowhead of the Military Industrial Complex, driving strategic objectives in defence manufacturing and technology, and modernising the Armed Forces to address national and sub-regional security challenges. This aligns with the “Renewed Hope Agenda” and the DICON Evolution Strategy and Road Map 2030, launched today, aiming to bridge performance gaps and reposition DICON as a global player, realising the vision of our founding fathers.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, In his address praised DICON’s journey since its establishment in 1964, noting how it has become a crucial part of Nigeria’s national security by supplying the Armed Forces with vital equipment. Matawalle expressed pride in the legacy of resilience and innovation that DICON represents for the country.
Matawalle highlighted that theDICON ACTS 2023 allows DICON to operate with more independence and efficiency, which is essential as Nigeria looks to strengthen its defence capabilities in the coming years.
In his closing remarks, Matawalle expressed enthusiasm for the Maiden Africa Defence Industries Conference and the Defence Innovation Challenge, initiatives stating that it will bring together experts and young talents from across Africa to drive advancements in defence technology. He called for collaboration across all sectors to achieve the goals set out in the Vision and Strategy Road Map 2030.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, The Director General Of DICON, Maj.Gen A.E Edet, stated that the Event was to celebrate the achievement so far of the agency and also to chart a way forward saying they are committed to partnerships, investing in human resources and development of Defence technologies.
The event had in attendance Members Of the National Assembly, Diplomatic Corps, Service Chiefs, DICON partners amongst others.
Goodwill messages were received From Minister of steel development, Prince shuaibu Audu Abubakar, Hon. Babajimi Benson, Presentations were also received from Epail Nigeria, National Radio Telecom, Pakistan and Arab Organization for Industrialization, Egypt.
The highlights of the event was the unveiling of the new DICON logo, Book launch, Defence Exhibition amongst others
