DICON-D7G plans 7,000 defence jobs and Lagos exhibition centre
- DICON-D7G says it will create 7,000 jobs for retired soldiers and civilians as it pushes local arms production.
- The firm is also seeking about 40,000 square metres of land in Lagos for a defence exhibition centre.
- Its CEO, Osman Chennar, announced the plans at the AFRIDEX defence fair in Lagos on Monday.
A defence firm wey dey linked to Nigeria own Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) don announce plan to create 7,000 jobs and build one big exhibition centre for Lagos, as di country dey push to make more of im own military equipment.
DICON-D7G, one major sponsor of di ongoing Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX) for Lagos, talk say di 7,000 jobs go split between 2,000 retired military personnel and 5,000 civilians. Im chief executive, Osman Chennar, announce di plans for one statement to journalists on Monday.
Di retired personnel go work for training, engineering, logistics, administration and project management, according to di statement. Di civilian roles go cover manufacturing, engineering, information technology, research and development, and skilled trades.
Chennar talk say di goal na to move Nigeria away from buying finished weapons abroad and towards designing, making and maintaining im own equipment, and eventually exporting am.
"Our ambition na to move Nigeria from dependence on imported military equipment to a country wey go increasingly manufacture, maintain and sustain im own defence requirements," im talk.
Why e matter for ordinary Nigerians
Nigeria don buy most of im military hardware, ammunition and spare parts from foreign suppliers for decades. Dat spending dey use scarce foreign exchange, and e dey leave di armed forces exposed when supply chains scatter.
If local production grow, di thinking be say, some of dat money go stay house, Nigerian factories and workshops go get work, and jobs go open for young people and retired soldiers.
DICON-D7G talk say e want go beyond arms and ammunition to make tanks, armoured personnel carriers, mine-resistant vehicles, boats and drones. E recently attend one exhibition for Qatar to look for foreign partners, investors and technology companies wey go gree share know-how.
Di firm still dey find about 40,000 square metres of land for Lagos for one international exhibition centre. E talk say di centre go host defence fairs, trade shows and investment forums, and go earn revenue of im own.
Di push come 61 years after dem set up DICON for 1964, and e follow President Bola Tinubu sign di DICON Amendment Act into law for November 2023, wey widen di legal room for local defence manufacturing.
Wetin go happen next
Di plans still dey announcement stage. To turn dem into real factories and jobs go depend on sustained investment, research, technology transfer, quality checks and cooperation between government and private manufacturers, as di company itself acknowledge.
Nigerians go dey watch for details on where di land go come from, who dey fund di projects, and when di first jobs go actually open.
