Matawalle Commissions DICON Institute

The Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s defence industry through investment in education, research and innovation as he commissioned the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Institute of Technology in Kaduna State.

Speaking at the inauguration of the institute in Kakuri on Wednesday, Matawalle described the institution as a strategic milestone in the Tinubu administration’s drive to build indigenous defence manufacturing capacity.

He also commissioned a solar-powered system at the DICON headquarters.

“In today’s rapidly evolving security environment, the strength of our nation’s defence lies not only in modern equipment but also in the expertise, knowledge and capacity of its people,” the minister said.

He said the institute reflects President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to developing local capacity through education, research, innovation and technological advancement.

“This institute will nurture the talents and innovation required to strengthen Nigeria’s industrial and technological resilience,” Matawalle said, urging government agencies, industry, academia and development partners to support its mission.

He also commended the Director-General of DICON, Major General Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, for his leadership in advancing Nigeria’s defence industrialisation agenda.

The DICON Institute of Technology is the country’s first statutory tertiary institution dedicated to training the skilled workforce needed for a self-reliant and sustainable defence industry.

In his remarks, Alaya thanked President Tinubu for signing the DICON Act 2023 into law and acknowledged the support of the Ministers of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Board for Technical Education and other partners in establishing the institute.

“Our mission is to produce globally competitive engineers, technologists and innovators equipped with the knowledge, skills and values required to advance Nigeria’s defence industry and contribute to national development,” Alaya said.

Established under the Defence Industries Corporation Act of 1964, DICON has supplied equipment and military hardware to the Nigerian Armed Forces for more than six decades.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa Oluyede, representatives of the Kaduna State Government, the service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Emir of Zazzau, among other dignitaries.