Senator Natasha wants FG to allow 100% local production of military kits

18 months after the Federal Government announced its plan to begin production of military kits locally, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, has urged the FG to establish industries for the production of uniforms and boots for military officers.

This according to her would boost the government's revenue generation drive.

Speaking on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at the interactive session on the 2024 budget between the Senate Committee on Defence and Defence Headquarters, Akpoti-Uduaghan, said she would like to see military uniforms produced by Nigerians.

"I have been going through your budget. Maybe I've missed the part that talked about the provision of uniforms for the officers; Navy, Air Force, and Army. My question is, where do you acquire the uniforms? Are they locally produced or imported? Kindly draw my attention to the budgetary provision for that, how much is being budgeted and whether they are manufactured hundred per cent in Nigeria.

"I am speaking as the Chairman of the Local Content Committee. It's my greatest desire to see that our local industries are being utilised in the manufacturing of boots and uniforms," the senator said.

She also called for the establishment of a barrack facility in Kogi Central to improve the security situation in the region.

In his response, Abubakar Badaru, the Minister of Defence explained that the budgetary provision for military uniforms is contained in the budget of the armed forces.

Recall that in June 2022, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) announced that Nigeria would begin local production of uniforms for its military and paramilitary personnel from January 2023.

The agency said the production project would be a Joint Venture Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Sur Corporate Wear to create the Sur Corporate Wear Nig. Ltd.