Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has urged President Bola Tinubu to expeditiously sign the Defence Industries Corporation (DICON) and Army Trust Fund bills into law. Kalu made this appeal during a retreat organized by the National Defence College in Abuja, emphasizing the crucial role these bills play in enhancing national security.
Arguing that the Army Trust Fund bill would free the military from dependence on the outdated envelope budgeting system, Kalu stressed the importance of swift presidential action. The bills, previously approved by the ninth National Assembly under then Senate President Ahmad Lawan, are seen as vital for boosting local content in the manufacturing of tools and equipment crucial for the nation’s security.
“It is a call on the 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,” Kalu emphasized during the retreat.
He highlighted the potential economic impact, envisioning the creation of military industrial complexes that could stimulate the local economy and attract patronage from neighboring countries through enhanced defense capabilities.
Kalu expressed optimism that Nigeria, leveraging technological innovations, could become a hub for manufacturing military tools, drawing interest from nations across Africa and beyond.
Focusing on the significance of the Army Trust Fund bill, Kalu pointed out its role in liberating the military from dependence on the envelope budgeting system. He declared that such a restrictive funding strategy is no longer viable in achieving the core mandate that the military and defense wish to accomplish.
“Gone are the days when you depend on envelope funding for the military and the armed forces,” Kalu declared. “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.”
