Boko Haram: DICON Embarks on Reverse Engineering to Meet Needs of N/East Operations

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Defence Industries Corporation (DICON) has embarked on a deep research and reverse engineering aimed at meeting the needs of North-east operations against Boko Haram, especially fabrication of spare parts for the weapons used in the theatre of operation.

The Director-General of DICON, Maj-Gen. Bamidele Ogunkale, stated this when his National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) counterpart, Prof. Ibrahim Madugu, paid him a courtesy visit.
Ogunkale in a statement signed yesterday by the corporation’s Public Relations Officer, Maj. Emmanuel Adeniyi, also agreed to work together with the NMDC, in the proposed Military Industrial Complex (MIC) for the country.

He said: “The Defence Corporation is currently embarking on deep research and reverse engineering aimed at meeting the needs of North-east operations, especially fabrication of spare parts for the weapons used in the theatre of operation.

“Our priority for now is to upgrade our Research and Development Department, since it is quite evident that we cannot attain the goal we are setting for DICON without investing more on research. We also have a production line where G3 rifles were produced, but we are exploring the possibility of upgrading the production line to where we can produce AK47 that would be acceptable by the Armed Forces who are our end users and other security agencies”.

“As soon as I took over the mantle of leadership in DICON, I convened a meeting with my management staff to identify various bodies that the corporation would collaborate with in our effort to reposition DICON to become the pride of the Nation, National Metallurgical Development Centre, Jos was first,” he added.

Ogunkale said that the Jos based Centre, “would no doubt be an indispensable ally in the Defence Headquarters (DHQ)’ envisioned Military Industrial Complex for which DICON was to be the epicentre”.
He further noted that some of the parts fabricated for some of the Nigerian Army artillery guns would have to be subjected to further test in terms of alloy component of the material used, stressing that it was in this area the technological expertise of the Metallurgical Institute would be highly needed.
The Director General also said DICON had compiled the areas the Metallurgical Centre assistance would be needed, adding that the corporation was quite eager to enter into partnership with the centre.

Earlier, Madugu stressed that the bane of the nation’s technological breakthrough was that “we do not task ourselves enough adding that we believe we can always buy or import our material needs.
“Nigeria has the human capacity, our young men should be tasked to carry out research, we are not giving them enough task. For us in the Metallurgical Centre, we make ourselves available; it is our utmost desire to see Nigerians ride on made in Nigeria cars,” he said.

According to him, “if DICON and the NMDC collaborate in some areas the demand of the armed forces in particular would be met and that of the country in general, stressing that the Metallurgical Centres in Egypt and South Africa play vital role in these countries Defence Industries.”