Guardian Nigeria
.Implores NACCIMA, MAN, others to key into initiatives
A former Minister of Defence, Adetokunbo Kayode, has tasked President Bola Tinubu on the implementation of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) law to stimulate investments in the country.
According to Kayode, the DICON bill, which was signed into law by the President in 2023, enables the country to domesticate the production and supply of security and military platforms and equipment while providing jobs for both uniformed and non-uniformed Nigerians.
The former minister, who stated this, at the weekend, emphasised that with committed implementation, the initiative would save Nigeria huge costs in the procurement of imported military hardware, stressing that Nigeria will become a player in the defence industry sector and also open doors for export earnings.
He said: “It will definitely and positively contribute to supporting our defence and security services in dealing with national security situations, now and in the future.”
Kayode appealed to the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and the entire organised private sector to support the Federal Government and also to profit from the policies.
Kayode, who is Chairman, Security and Logistics Worldwide Limited, lauded the efforts of the current Defence Minister, Muhammad Badaru, in the operationalisation of the law going by the scorecard of the Ministry of Defence and also endorsed the call by House of Representatives member, Babajimi Benson, on the resuscitation of DICON.
Meanwhile, Kayode, who had also served as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, urged the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to urgently put in place a team that would help drive the economic development of the state.
He advised that the team should be made up of youths and the governor must be wary of bootlickers in his government.
