By Muhammed Shaeed
The deputy speaker of the House of representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign the Defence Industries Corporation (DICON) and Army Trust Fund bills into law.
He made this known during a retreat of members of the House Committee on Defence organized by the National Defence College in Abuja on the weekend.
He said, “With the bill, there will be a stimulation of local content, in manufacturing the tools and the equipment needed to keep our nation safe.
It is a call on Mr. President to do it and do it as urgently as possible. So that some of the funding contracts of the military at the moment will be converted into military-industrial complexes.
“And I can assure you, there is a lot of value addition to what we do with our defense.
“So that the nearby countries will be coming here to purchase that which our ingenuity and innovations through technology is able to produce.
“The target is the nation’s security through industrialization. This will stimulate our local economy and attract patronage from all countries in Africa and beyond.”
The deputy speaker said with the army trust fund bill, the army would not need to rely on the envelope budgeting system.
“Gone are the days when you depend on envelope funding for the military and the armed forces.
“Many of you have said it here, over and over again, giving solid reasons why such a restrictive funding strategy is inimical to the core mandate that the military, the defense, wishes to achieve.”
