The Minister of defence, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi
By Our Reporter
The minister of defence, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi has lauded the Director General, Major General Victor Ezugwu and staff of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, Kaduna (DICON), for their outstanding performances in driving the Statutory Mandate of the Corporation as entrenched in the Presidential Executive Order 5 which is aimed at emplacing strategic and effective utilisation of local contents for the production of Defence Equipment.
Maj Gen. Magashi made the commendation on Wednesday after completing his two-day working visit to the DICON complex in Kaduna.
The minister tour of duty to DICON was the second in recent times and coincided with the 56th anniversary of its establishment.
In a press statement issued by the Special Assistant Media and Publicity to the minister of defence Muhammad Abdulkadri said the minister while there inaugurated some completed projects such as; the refurbished Ballistic vest Production Unit and the Special Equipment factory as well as inspected some on-going projects being executed in compliance with the FG’s policy of Local Content Initiative to drive national aspirations for technological advancement.
“I want to urge you, the management of the Corporation, not to compromise globally acceptable standards in the production of weapons for induction into the theatres of the on-going Military Campaigns to defend the Nation’s territorial integrity.
“It is my pleasure to also commend the foresight of the Country’s Founding Fathers for establishing the Corporation by an Act of Parliament since 1964.
“I want to assure you of the support of the Commander- in- Chief (C-in-C) of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari at all times,” he said.
Earlier, the DG of DICON, Major General Victor Ezugwu expressed satisfaction over the support the corporation is receiving from the federal government, adding that it has given impetus to enhancing productive capabilities of DICON, accounting for the production of the Nation’s first Armoured Vehicles MRAPS and some range of weapons.
