Diplomatic bureaucracy impedes acquisition of military tools – Army Chief

The Nigerian  Chief of Army Staff,  Lt General Faruk Yahaya, has described funding constraints, diplomatic and other international bureaucracy as creating  obstacles in acquiring needed tools for optimal performance of the Military in the country.

Army Chief stated this  on Wednesday, during the 3 day  training and doctrine command of the Nigerian Army research and development conference in Minna, Niger state Capital, North central Nigeria.

Represented at the event by the TRADOC Commander, Major General Stephenson Olugbenga Olabanji, The  Chief of army staff  Lt General Yahaya  reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army in collaborating with renowned research based institutions  towards realizing the noble objective of producing the required military hardware in the country.

“I’m glad to state that these engagements are already yielding the required dividends,  looking at  our collaboration with the Defence Industries corporation and the command Engineering depot which has led to the development of hardwares  such as the ” Ezegwu” and Conqueror MRAPS, the DSHK(Dashka) Anti Air craft gun as well as the Rocket Propelled Grenade,” added Lt General Yahaya.

The Nigerian Army Chief, further gave the assurance that the Nigerian army is willing  to support and partner with local  manufacturing industries in the country towards the production  of needed military materials .

” The initiative will not only make the country self reliant ,but would also enable the country to save scarce foreign exchange that could be channeled to other sectors of the economy in line with the government’s  recovery plans”.

Lt General Yahaya  urged  the participants of the conference to avail themselves the unique opportunity to showcase their contributions for the benefit of the Nigerian army and the nation at large, in line with attaining the vision will  of having ‘ A professional Nigerian army ready to accomplish assigned mission within a joint environment in Defence of Nigeria “.

Lt General Yahya who further mentioned that the conference has been designed to allow for a more enriched theoretical approach to the search for technological innovations in collaboration with relevant military and civil research agencies noted that ” no nation or organization would want to engage in technology without gaining substantially from it”.

The Nigerian Chief of Army Staff however  said the 3 day TRADOC Conference on research and development is designed primarily to articulate strategies that would assist the Nigerian army in its research and development efforts especially in the present contemporaries period .

“The conference could not have come at a more oppurtuned  time given the development in the country which has necessitated the need for the army to intensify and redoubled it efforts in research and development in line with the theme of the seminar ” Enhancing Nigerian army joint operational effectiveness through research and development “.

Nnenna.O