In the 1980’s Nigeria was among the elite few African countries with a domestic defence industry. In 1983 the Nigerian Air Force, during its program of Aeronautical Industrial Engineering Project (AIEP) developed and built an indigenous light trainer aircraft, the ABT-18 (air beetle-18) to facilitate training.

During this period it can be argued that Nigeria had by far the most technical capability of any African state, with the exception of South Africa. By 1988 the Nigerian Air Force built 60 of the ABT-18 aircraft locally for its primary training program. The first by an African nation.

But Nigeria was just beginning. This feat was the initial step towards enlisting Nigeria as among the few counties in the world that designs and manufacture its own aircraft. This development, if continued would have contributed immensely to Nigeria’s national development and prestige. In as little as ten years Nigeria was on track to manufacture its own combat aircraft.

Today that technical capability the Nigerian Air Force was wielded is DEAD ! Nigeria now imports the kind of aircraft it built 35 years ago from Pakistan.

Rather than leverage on such a superb foundation, Nigeria, flush with oil money went on a spending spree,, acquiring aircrafts not based on threat perception, but on prestige and grandiose display of wealth and was vendor driven rather than on need basis.
The NAF within the 50 + years of its existence has operated 29 different aircraft types and weapon systems from 9 different countries. No surprise maintenance of these platforms has been a nightmare to NAF engineering due to lack of standardisation, incompatibility and interoperability.

Thirty five years later Nigeria is suffering the consequence for allowing the technical capacity it once had rot away.
Nigeria needs a domestic industrial base. The delay in the delivery of aircraft consignment in itself poses a national security threat. It’s BEEN four years and Nigeria is yet to take delivery of the three JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from Pakistan. Nigeria will not be taking delivery of the Super Tucano until 2020-2023 at best. Until then the capability gap is horrendous.

Nigerian Air Force was forced to adapt its L-39ZA trainear aircraft for combat role because the NAF is over stretched. This against a militia that has no air combat capability. Against a near peer adversary there is a high likelihood the NAF will capitulate within hours.
Nigeria needs a domestic defense industrial base capable of providing a secure supply chain to equip and maintain the armed forces, without which the Nigerian military will inevitably be limited in terms of the scope and scale of operations it can conduct as is the case today.

https://defensenigeria.com/2018/04/30/who-is-to-blame-the-death-of-nigerias-defence-industry/

Building an aircraft is one thing, mass producing them is another thing entirely. In the space of two years 60 Air Beetle was delivered to the Nigerian Air Force. Locally built, the price was low enough to afford the Nigerian Air Force acquiring a total of 60 aircraft. Nigeria would have been an aircraft exporting country by now.

SSGN:
Building an aircraft is one thing, mass producing them is another thing entirely. In the space of two years 60 Air Beetle was delivered to the Nigerian Air Force. Locally built, the price was low enough to afford the Nigerian Air Force acquiring a total of 60 aircraft. Nigeria would have been an aircraft exporting country by now.

Some of these things are just heartbreaking. Embraer from Brazil there is producing and exporting private jets that our politicians buy and the Super Tucano we are buying now.

It really is a tragedy.

Lol nigeria is sad country all the potential in the world but no initiative. Nigeria has potential for an integrated aluminum industry as well as steel industry. The could have been buikding these planes but we didnt take millitary industry seriously.

Jets from what i understand are aluminium alloys. The materials are one thing expertise to build id annother. Its better to start now than later.