The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, has said Nigerian military is willing to work with other militaries on the continent of Africa to ensure the security of Nigeria and the continent at large.
General Musa said Africa must take responsibility for its security.
Speaking on Wednesday during a press conference on the forthcoming Maiden African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit slated for Aug. 25 to Aug. 27, the CDS said Nigeria had, over the years, demonstrated readiness to protect its sovereignty, support neighbours, and contribute to peace and stability efforts across the continent.
He said the summit would offer the 54 African Defence Chiefs expected to attend opportunity to brainstorm and find solutions to the continent’s security challenges.
He said, “We have invited all 54 African countries, and I am pleased to announce that we have recorded over 90 per cent attendance. This reflects our shared recognition of the need to unite against common threats.
“Our goal is to strengthen rapid crisis response capabilities, establish joint training exercises, enhance intelligence sharing, and develop a unified continental strategy to address our security challenges.”
He said the summit is an opportunity to forge lasting partnerships, pool resources, and ensure that Africa is prepared to respond effectively to any crisis.
“A secure Africa is a prosperous Africa. We must step up, work together as brothers and sisters, and act now before it is too late. Our collective will is our greatest weapon,” he said.
Gen. Musa said Nigeria is rebranding its Defence Industries Corporation to standardise local production, strengthen security, and boost indigenous military capacity.
He said the new approach would ensure all companies producing defence-related equipment work under the Defence Industries Corporation, with mandatory approval from the National Security Adviser’s office and the Ministry of Defence.
He noted that Nigeria had begun procuring armoured vehicles, drones, and other military hardware from local firms such as ProForce and Imperium, while also retrofitting damaged equipment to extend service life.
The CDS said the move would not only enhance national security but also create jobs, open export markets to neighbouring countries, and instil national pride in homegrown defence capabilities.
He said, “We want to synergise and harmonise their work, standardise it, and make sure the equipment we produce does not get into the wrong hands.
“We have the ProForce, we have the Emperium, and EPAIL. We have so many of them that also produce one or two things together.
“Now, what we are doing is, we are rebranding the entire defence industry corporation so that all companies that are coming to work on anything defence must have approval.
“Why we need to do that is so that we can synergise and harmonise their work, standardise it, and make sure that the equipment we produce does not enter the wrong hands.”