“If people fail to buy what DICON is producing, it is the sign of being unpatriotic. I think it is beyond being unpatriotic. We have a number of Nigerians that are unpatriotic, even people holding high offices. They have no choice except DICON cannot produce and I must be convinced beyond reasonable doubts that DICON cannot produce before any Federal Government agency be allowed to buy something that is not produced here.”
That was President Goodluck Jonathan, speaking in the north-central city of Kaduna, in Kaduna State on Monday, where he was visiting for the launch of a ballistic vest production company, Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria, DICON.
The company whose launch the president was in town for, DICON, is an armed forces defense factory established by an Act of Parliament in 1964 to produce small arms and ammunition for the use of the Nigerian Army, paramilitary and security agencies in the country.
The president said the project was undertaken as a Public Private Partnership, PPP, between DICON and MAROM- DOLPHIN Nigeria Limited to produce good quality ballistic vests for the Nigerian military, adding that it appears that the military has bought into its ‘local content’ philosophy which is aimed to developing the economy across the board.
Also on Tuesday in Jaji, near Kaduna, the president celebrated the 2012 Army Day by delivering a keynote address at the event whose theme was “Partnering the civil society towards improved security.”
“Our nation has experienced a number of security challenges, particularly over the past one year. I would like to seize this opportunity to reaffirm our administration’s resolute commitment to deploying all the resources at our disposal to ensure that this challenge is met head-on,” the president said, adding that he approved a National Counter-Terrorism Strategy as a clear path to tacking the problem of insecurity occasioned by the recent uptick in extremism in the country.