The Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to establishing a defence industrial hub at Ajaokuta Steel Complex in Kogi state.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Lizzy Okoji, on Wednesday, the Minister said military hardware will be produced at the defence industrial hub.
Prince Audu and the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, held a strategic meeting on Tuesday at the Ship House, Defence Headquarters in Abuja as part of ongoing efforts to deepen inter-ministerial collaboration for the establishment of the Defence Industrial Hub.
“The meeting centred on finalising the framework for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Steel Development, aimed at the production of military-equipments and the establishment of a Military Industrial Complex at the Ajaokuta Steel Plant in Kogi State.
“This initiative stems from a collaboration formalised in March 2024 under the leadership of both ministers, in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR,” the statement read.
Prince Audu said the goal is to leverage local capacity to drive the Federal Government’s vision of self-reliance in military hardware production and national industrialisation in line with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (“DICON”) Act 2023.
