The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, has said Nigeria’s ability to address insecurity will depend not only on the strength of its armed forces, but also on the country’s technological and industrial capacity.
Musa stated this at the Omniverse Africa 3.0 Summit in Lagos, where he said national security in the 21st century is now driven by innovation, digital infrastructure, industrial strength and technological sovereignty.
According to him, Nigeria must move beyond being a consumer of defence technology and become a producer of advanced security solutions.
He said modern security now requires indigenous capacity in unmanned systems, robotics, surveillance technologies, cybersecurity, secure communications, artificial intelligence governance, data-driven decision-making and advanced manufacturing.
The Defence Minister said the Ministry of Defence is already restructuring its doctrine, acquisition processes and training to meet the demands of a rapidly changing security environment.
He added that ongoing reforms at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria are aimed at creating an ecosystem where defence investments can drive economic growth, support research and create high-technology jobs.
Musa also announced the launch of the Defence Futures Lab Pathway, a platform designed to bring together innovators, startups, researchers, industry leaders and the defence community for collaboration and strategic foresight.
He said nations that will lead in the future are those that invest not only in defending their sovereignty, but also in creating the technologies that sustain it.
Daily Times
