Ministry of Defence floats prospect of partnership with University of Abuja to boost local production of hardware
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru has called for a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and the University of Abuja through the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) – to boost local production of defence equipment.
The Minister stated this on Thursday when the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah paid him a courtesy visit at the Ministry of Defence Abuja
The Minister noted that the University being a centre for research, can partner favourably with DICON in the production of Military weapons; drones, guns and other hardware needed in the country.
The Minister stressed that UNI-Abuja was a research-driven University that offers various Engineering Courses and that it would be beneficial if it partnered with DICON in the local production of defence equipment, pointing out that for any useful development, there must be research.
Badaru appreciated the V.C. for the visit and said that the Ministry would do everything necessary to see that the collaborative efforts of both parties boost Nigeria’s desire to produce defence equipment locally.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah said the purpose of his visit was to interact with the Minister on possible levels of collaboration in terms of ideas sharing and research.
He said that the University was well positioned in terms of research capabilities to support good ideas that would enhance the security of the nation.