Prof Bisallah Mohammed Honoured as DICON DG (Maj Gen Ezugwu) tasks NSE on Military Industrial Complex

DIRECTOR GENRAL DEFENCE INDUSTRIES CORPORATION OF NIGERIA CHARGES NIGERIAN SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS ON HARNESSING LOCAL CONTENT FOR PROMOTING MILITARY INDUSRIAL COMPLEX IN NIGERIA

The Director General Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Maj Gen Victor Ezugwu has reiterated the need for the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) to adopt proactive posture in an ever conflictual competitive and dynamic world in order to meet the urgent need of technological breakthrough in our beloved country.

He made the charge while delivering a memorial lecture titled: “The Contributions of Engineering in the Defence Industry” in honour of Engineer Bisalah Mohammed, a former Director in DICON who was key actor in the fabrication of both military and civilian products in the Corporation and an active Fellow of NSE.

According to him, our nation has all that are needed to be like Singapore or other nations who were once classified as third world countries but have now joined the league of developed nations, stressing that there was need to give priority attention to local content rather than depending solely on importation of raw materials or finished products from developed nations.

The DG disclosed that his journey to DICON could be traced to crystallization of ideas of young recruits in Depot Nigerian Army as who fabricated Infantry Patrol Vehicles under the Military Skills Acquisition Programme introduced by the then Commandant, Maj Gen VO Eugwu.

This impressive ingenuity made the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen TY Buratai redeploy Gen Ezugwu as the pioneer Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company (NAVMC) Rigachukun, Kaduna.

He further noted that the Combat as well as light and medium tactical Vehicles manufactured in NAVMC aimed at meeting the standard required in a rugged terrain at the theatre of operations were fabricated with 70 percent local content.

He added that imported products were sometimes repainted and sold out at exorbitant prices as new products hence, the need to look inwards to solve our problems in our own way.

According to the DG, late Engineer Mohammed stood for the ideals of looking inwards to meet the engineering needs of the nation. This he exemplified while rendering effective and functional service delivery to DICON on one hand and NSE on the other hand, challenging members of NSE to imbibe the ideals of late Engineer Mohammed.

”I charge all the members of NSE to be more pragmatic in their approaches to handling research and development issues that would impact on the nation positively.

‘You cannot sit down in the office and expect to make it there’.

I urge you to emulate the ways of late Engineer Mohammed for result oriented products through deliberate and painstaking effort”.

Gen Ezugwu further stated that members of the NSE should be guided by sense of urgency to obtain result for Nigeria in light of mirades of security challenges facing the nation, stressing there was urgent need to answer the clarion call in proffering solutions to mitigate problems.

The DICON boss, who also harped on the need for a professionally responsive NSE, ingenuity, creativity and hardwork to edge foreign products out of Nigerian market said he was poised to take DICON to the next level.

He therefore stated that the only way to immortalize Engr Mohammed, was to also be ready to move to the next level, advocating for a symbiotic relationship among the Engineers, thus complementing one another’s effort rather than adopting unhealthy competitive approach.

Earlier, the Chairman NSE, Kaduna Chapter Engr Nasiru Umar, in his welcome address strongly called on the Government to genuinely look inwards and challenge the nation’s Engineers to transform the plethora of research projects in the nations various institutions of learning into real practical implementation.

He added that this would no doubt improve the status of our nation in the committee of nations.

He described late Engr Mohammed as a think tank not only to Kaduna chapter of NSE but to the national body especially when the leadership was in dire need of elderly guidance, stressing that his tireless, selfless unequivocal forthrightness and support in the field of engineering practice would not be forgotten easily.

The Chairman disclosed that late Engineer Mohammed was part of the NSE team that visited NAVMC where the Guest Speaker Maj Gen Ezugwu was the GMD before his recent appointment in DICON.

He further added that the impressive performance saw during the visit was what led to his choice as Guest Lecturer.