High kidnapping rate in Nigeria worries Defence Corporation

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

Director General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria-DICON, Major General Bamidele Ogunkale has lamented over increase rates in kidnapping saying out of the top ten countries with high kidnapping records in 2007, Nigeria occupied the sixth position.
According to him, Nigeria has since 2007 moved up to the third position, behind Mexico and Columbia.
Major General Bamidele Ogunkale made the observation while presenting a paper titled: “The Role of Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria in the face of current security challenges,” at the Annual meeting of Nigerian Society of Engineers Kaduna Branch.
The Director General mentioned causes of terrorism in Africa to include poor governance, systemic corruption, rising poverty, unemployment inequality, collapse of social services and infrastructural facilities, unhealthy competition for power, resource control and balanced federalism as well as foreign support.
Major General Ogunkale opined that the challenges faced by DICON are inadequate funding, human capital development, obsolete machines and equipment.
“But DICON is being reposition to meet the security challenges facing the country, when you look at the National security, it encompasses so much such as food security, environment security, health security and military security”.
“Effort to mitigate the challenges is collaborative efforts, change of vision, mission statement and logo of DICON, human capital development and training and proposed amendment of DICON Act Installation support for the production lines
He pointed out that to be self-sufficient; DICON is establishing Primal Cap Factory in small arm production which will be a vital raw materials requirement in small arm production before moving into the medium caliber ammunition production.
“Before now we use to import arms so with the establishment of the factory, will be self-sufficient in the production of those raw materials for small arms production and from there we will move into the medium caliber ammunition production”.
“Because technology drives quite a number of things so it is necessary for us to collaborate with the Nigeria Society of Engineers to be able to give us advice, come in to help us and move the corporation forward.Being an engineer, you need the security as a body to help you move with the tide of times.
Fielding questions from newsmen, Chairman, Nigeria Society of Engineers NSE, Kaduna Branch, Engineer, Abdul-Rasheed Babalola said due to numerous security challenges in Nigeria, NSE invited DICON to educate its members on the need to embrace themselves as engineer and help the country in any way they could.
Speaking on why DICON is not able to produce quality and long lasting ammunitions for the country, he said It is lack of Government political will to patronize made in Nigeria ammunitions.
“It is lack of Government political will, because an average Nigeria want to patronize imported goods including ammunitions and do not trust the common watch that was made in Nigeria or the weapon that was produced by DICON, “ he said .

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