The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has declared that Nigeria lacks the technological capability to develop and produce military equipment for the sustainable development of the country.

This was even as the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) has declared that its members have a role to play towards the security of lives and property in the country as the drivers of technology and innovations.

Irabor spoke in Abuja at the 2023 Annual Public Lecture of the NSE, Bwari Branch, which was held with the theme, “National Security as a Panacea for Sustainable Economic Growth: The Role of Engineers”.

Irabor, who was represented by the Director, Engineering Services, Defence Headquarters, Maj. Gen. Gat Ochigbano, urged the NSE to deepen its partnership with the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

He said: “To this effect, engineers and researchers could focus attention on training and R&D in critical areas of defence such as missile design, military vehicle engineering, marine architecture etc.

“Thus, low investment in R&D is a constraint that hinders the utilisation of ETI for production of defence equipment towards enhancing national security in Nigeria.

“Nigeria lacks the technological capability to develop and produce her military equipment. It is a generally held belief that the lack of iron and steel has prevented Nigeria from manufacturing ships, cars and airplanes. The advancements in material science have presented alternatives for the same purpose.”

He noted that poor investment on R&D has made it difficult for Nigeria to perform excellently in technological innovation and industrialisation, adding that the Armed Forces depend largely on foreign countries for arms and military materials.

Delivering his keynote address, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, noted that most security gadgets and equipment used by security agents in the country were imported. 

Alkali, who was represented by AIG Rudolph Obe, said: “To effectively secure the nation, there should be locally developed crime-prevention gadgets, tools, equipment and facilities. They should be domesticated from conception, bearing our peculiarities in mind, to tackle security challenges of our nation in particular. This is a wake up call on Nigerian engineers and their umbrella body, the NSE, to up their game and tap into the vast opportunities in this important sector thereby contributing their quota to the development of the nation.

As an important stakeholder in the security of the nation, I make bold to say that it is your duty to design, construct/fabricate and maintain security tools, gadgets, weapons, equipment and infrastructure. Such design must, however, focus on complementing physical security policies of the Federal Government in addition to aiding its implementation by the security agencies. 

“This will save the nation the foreign exchange expended on their continued importation. It will also enhance the economy of the country and provide jobs for the teaming unemployed youths, among other benefits. You are hereby charged to rise up to this responsibility for the sustainable development of our nation.”

In his remarks, President of the NSE, Tasiu Gidari-Wudal, also advised engineers to contribute towards economic growth by applying technology and logical thinking to solving the country’s security challenges.

He said: “A lot of people who are not in the security circle don’t really know the level of technology the security officials and armed forces are using; if that is out now, I doubt if we are going to be secure. So, the role of the engineer is very important in making sure that the security forces perform optimally. 

“Knowing that national security impacts the socio-economic growth of any nation, security is a concern to all. Engineers have a great role to play concerning security, as we are the drivers of technology and innovations. We therefore must apply technology and our logical thinking to solving our security challenges.”

In his address, the Chairman of NSE, Bwari Branch, Ijirortimi Olanrewaju, lamented that insecurity was affecting every sector of the country’s economy.