President Bola Tinubu has committed to accelerating Nigeria’s domestic arms manufacturing capacity as part of a strategy to strengthen national security and institutional resilience.
The pledge was delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima during the graduation ceremony of Course 33 at the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja. Addressing the theme “Strengthening Institutions for National Security and Development in Nigeria,” Shettima emphasized that “strong institutions uphold the rule of law, safeguard citizens’ rights, promote accountability, and deliver essential services.”
He described institutional capacity as the administration’s cornerstone for national security, noting that such frameworks “provide the foundation for managing conflict, countering threats, and strengthening resilience against instability.”
The President announced several key directives including the immediate study of NDC’s Presidential Treatise on indigenous military manufacturing, completion of the College’s permanent site in Piwoyi (potentially evolving into a Defence Postgraduate University), enhanced collaboration between defence leadership and the Ministry of Defence, and strategic deployment of Course 33 graduates to address emerging security challenges.
Tinubu specifically endorsed the College’s research on “Harnessing Indigenous Manufacturing for Enhanced National Security and Development by 2040,” directing stakeholders to “harvest the strategies you proposed” and affirming that “strengthening indigenous manufacturing is indispensable to our nation’s security.”
NDC Commandant Rear Admiral J.O. Okosu welcomed the government’s support, expressing confidence that graduates would effectively combat pressing security threats like banditry and Niger Delta oil theft.
Deputy Commandant Major General Kevin Ukandu confirmed participants had received advanced training in defense management, strategy formulation, and geopolitics.
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