President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday restated his administration’s resolve to ensure that Nigeria maximises its human, material, and intellectual potential for enhanced industrialisation, peace, and prosperity.
He spoke at the Council Chambers in Abuja as he received in audience members of Course 33 of the National Defence College.
He charged the participants to view themselves as agents of positive national development and commended them for their patriotic duty and commitment throughout the programme.
President Tinubu reiterated that the government will always provide a platform for proffering inclusive solutions to emerging socio–economic national challenges.
The President also stated that his administration was committed to empowering the nation’s defence and military institutions to develop a crop of sufficiently trained officers, thereby enhancing national power in the defence and security environment.
“I congratulate all of you, the leadership of the college, the participants and resource persons. We are building a political, economic and security future here. We must develop Nigeria. The strategic path to industrialisation, as enumerated in your presentation, gives credence to that,” President Tinubu stated.
In the research paper titled, ‘Harnessing Indigenous Manufacturing for Enhanced National Security by Year 2040, President Tinubu assured that his administration will carefully study the recommendations for implementation and challenged the participants to be committed towards intellectual analysis of the nation’s emerging challenges.
“I have listened attentively to your presentation. We must develop future strategic leaders sufficiently equipped with the requisite knowledge and analytical skills necessary to enhance the instrument of national power in a dynamic defence and security environment.
“It is our joint responsibility to ensure that this nation, Nigeria, is productive, it is governed inclusively, and takes care of the future of our generation yet unborn.
“It is our patriotic duty to look further into the horizon, to be determined and be resilient, to invoke our spirit that can achieve greatness, to train our people, develop our economy, promote industrial development, and ensure that sovereignty is assured, protected, and will remain resilient.
“We challenge our intellectual curiosity by being highly inquisitive and looking at what other nations are doing, where we are today, how we got here, and where we are headed tomorrow,” the President further stated.
President Tinubu also told the management of the College to be ‘patient’ on the request for the full development of the college’s permanent site, which started in 2010.
Commandant of the College, Rear Admiral A. Ahmed, informed that the College, established in 1992, is the highest professional military educational institution in Nigeria.
The Commandant told President Tinubu that the theme of Course 33 was “Strengthening Institutions for National Security and Development in Nigeria.”
According to the Commandant, Course 33 had 99 participants made up of 25 from the Army, 16 from the Nigerian Navy, 12 from the Nigerian Air Force, five from the Police and 18 from different MDAs, as well as 23 international participants from Africa, Asia and South America.
He said the College had so far graduated 3,097 participants, comprising military officers from the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Police, as well as friendly African countries.
The leader of the team, Captain M.A. Ahmed, informed President Tinubu that the course’s research topic aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in terms of economic diversification through industrialisation, digitalisation, creativity, and manufacturing.
According to him, the National Defence College sent study teams to over 23 countries worldwide, including eight in Africa, nine in Europe, and six in Asia, to study the indigenous manufacturing sector. This is due to the sector’s significant role in generating wealth, creating jobs, driving economic development, and contributing to the country’s overall growth.
He explained that nations actively pursue industrialisation, economic diversification, national security and national development. He said that the case of Qatar particularly struck a chord with the team because it shares similar characteristics with Nigeria as part of its economy’s makeup.
“Notably, Qatar had a mono-economy in which oil and gas accounted for about 90% of exports and about 51% of the GDP, which was similar to the situation in Nigeria as of 2007. The Qatari government enacted several strategic interventions, and our team drew lessons from the infrastructure. The government of Qatar invested over $300 billion between 2011 and 2022,” he further stated.
The Research Team, while commending the economic strides of the Tinubu administration, noted that only two countries had better GDP growth projections in 2026 than Nigeria.
The study recommended massive investment in infrastructure, product standardisation, and patronage of the nation’s military industry complex, the Defence Industrial Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), for industrial and backward integration, as well as a quantum leap in employment.
The presentation concluded with a call for presidential directives to implement Project Native 2040, emphasising that visionary leadership and strategic execution will enable Nigeria to harness indigenous manufacturing for national security and development by 2040.
Bayo Onanuga
