DubaiLandLord1: The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Kenneth Minimah, a former Chief of Army Staff, with fraud involving alleged misappropriation of N13 billion meant for arms purchase.
Mr Minimah was charged alongside an erstwhile Chief of Accounts and Budget of the Nigerian Army, A. O. Adetayo, a major-general, and the former Director, Finance and Accounts of the Nigerian Army, R. I. Odi, a brigadier-general, at the Federal Capital Territory High in Abuja.
Like the new vehicles. Look well made. Borrowing from a comment here, let them pass through 'Bush break' to iron out shortcomings.
In other news, how do we not already have counter battery radar going by previous developments? Terrorists have launched mortars at FOB and GRADS at Maiduguri now without precise responses.
Could have utilised an 'African orchestral' sound rather than a Tchaikovsky-esque sound . Examples are Soweto Gospel Choir or borrow from Hans Zimmer's attempt at African sound like in Tears of the sun.
Alternatively, songs such as Baba Yetu would have been great.
Leans too heavy on Western traditions for something called 'A Naija Christmas'.
kabe1: Vice President of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osibanjo (GCON) visits Nigeria's most modern Locally built warship, SDB 3 ahead of Launch.
Will be interesting if they can publish challenges during the process of construction such as materials, machinery at al (local outsourcing) and make it possible for private companies to invest and make the next construction smoother and quicker.
How much were they paid exactly that's worth canvassing for that corrupt charlatan?
For example, How many actors have we seen soliciting for funds to go India all because governors like Tinubu looted treasury meant for healthcare and such to stupor?
kabe1: While you've raised an important argument, building a defence industry is often easier said than done.
To build a strong defence industry in Nigeria, we need to have serious private sector participation. Without that, it's simply not achievable in a Nigerian political context.
No matter how much money government puts into DICON , the company always seems to under achieve.
You also need to remember that Nigeria's first locally built military vehicle was launched in 2010. The industry is still very new in Nigeria.
Nigeria's first locally built military vessel was also launched in 2012.
The industry is still new.
I do not believe that Nigeria has the financial capacity, not on the government side anyway to purse a robust defence Industry. That's why we need improved participation of the private sector.
While Nigeria has many brilliant intellectuals across multiple fields, I don't think we have the adequate intellectual skill in areas like defence manufacturing.
We can however go the Turkish path and import foreign intellectuals from abroad, but I don't see the government doing that.
While we don't currently face a peer sized threat, we do face multiple low intensity threats that are capable of destabilizing the country. Issues around Boko-haram and piracy in the gulf of Guinea if not checked have the capacity to cripple economic activities.
So do we wait and build our industry while boko-haram overruns us or do we buy what we desperately need from abroad while actively encouraging private sector and government investments in defence manufacturing.
Not to slate South-Africa , but the recently launched IPV although built in South-Africa is a Dutch design and a Dutch company built the vessel.
The design for South-African Navy hydrographic ship currently been built was bought from a Canadian company.
Back to Nigeria. The Nigerian Navy has purchased nearly 350 Inshore Patrol Crafts in the last 5 years and all the boats were purchased from Nigerian companies.
30 units of Proforce ARA MRAP from Proforce Nigeria.
More than 80 units of Ezugwu MRAPs from DICON.
Bulletproof vests and Ballistic helmets from Epail , DICON , NMT and Proforce.
The new 9 Ton PF Viper MRAPs would also be supplied to the army.
SDB 3 would be launched soon.
So while we should strive to build defence industry, we shouldn't forget the important role imports play.
Most people know Proforce's story. The CEO wanting to work with a defence company in the ME, was rejected and later swooped all the employees to Nigeria when the company went bust. Before them, they were others such as Obasa Specialty. The former benefitted from their superior grade of their finished articles and manufacturing just at the right time for the government to patronise them.
If you left most Nigerians to it, they'll explore well trodden paths or copy other already thriving Nigerian businesses. Without a form of subsidy to private companies, most might not scale past the hurdle in a tough unsupportive environment or attain a capability to produce quality hardware. We also lack many supporting industries to make manufacturing easier. We need to have already had an 'Engineering conglomerate'. Special attention would need to be paid towards STEM subjects. We can leapfrog to an extent by sweeping up experts from around the world but how long could we sustain it without a technological base.
About DICON, I don't know what the isuues are, but here's a good read of a succesful government (Singapore) run defence organisation .
When the American army moved into Afghanistan, acts like this occurred before new rules of engagement were created to adapt to current realities of asymmetric warfare.
We have been doing COIN training for quite a while, not sure if this is implemented in the NA.
Lurker4Long: I'm not sure the issue is mainly one of productivity and waste. For the size of your economy, it seems to me that your tax collection is in serious need of repair.
Inadequate infrastructure means cost of production is quite high. Few multinationals are willing to stake a gamble in environments like that.
Even though there's concerted efforts for efficient taxing, a tax base consisting of a large informal workers/economy would struggle to generate adequate funds.
Omo this IPOB thing go be strictly urban warfare o. See as e be like say na the Troubles
There should be incentives (monetary rewards or otherwise) by the government leading to the capture or identification of these gun men especially when they show their faces on videos.
They've caused havoc for far too long and are no less than deranged terrorists/fanatics.
Stormtrooper11: True, almost all major projects funding comes from loans,we have avenues and ways to generate money in Nigeria. If the mismanagement, misplaced priorities and corruption continues, we'll keep claiming we don't have money while having peeps who are creating a fortune for themselves from the country's wealth. Nigeria is a mismanaged country, not a poor one.
Misconception is that Nigeria is wealthy. For one, its population is oversized but not as productive.
Look at our education or health budget for example. Even before releasing funds (some of which gets stolen), it is barely enough to adequately cover a quarter of the states.
All stolen funds recovered have barely made a dent on our infrastructural needs.
Example :Germany's health budget for 2019 was 410 billion Euros which is our entire Federal budget for the next 7+ years.
Stormtrooper11: Exactly. The fv101, fv103 and fv107 are already good platforms if utilized appropriately and properly. For people clamouring for IFVs, i tell you what, those IFVs ain't gonna win you this war in no time. That's a misperception of things on ground. We got a whole lotta Vickers mk. 3 MBTs and T 55s prior to the purchase of T 72m1 and VT4 tanks. Those older MBTs would've ended this war quickly if they were utilized appropriately. We all saw what Late. Lt-Col Abu Ali did with the 272 tank battalion's T 72s. It takes determination and commitment to the cause, to win a war of attrition.
It's a nightmare to defend a tunnel in advanced nations, never mind in this our wahala.
Many advanced countries don't have this problem. How many terrorists have you heard in tunnels. CCTV covers entry points of tunnels, pray tell how you'll get there.
homerac7: Let me ask you... Have you travelled the route before? .... I mean at daytime. Have you?
I haven't. But if geography and poor planning is why this can't be implemented, then that's on the government and the planners.
Any country deploying troops to secure 200km of rail tracks is already a failed state. Toss it in the bin.
An alternative is to create a Nigerian Transport Police or similar.
homerac7: Fencing can't work. That's a distance of over 200km. It runs through many villages bisecting them. People must cross the railway lines to get to different places or even see their next door neighbours. Cameras can't work either because of distance and remoteness. Don't bring up tracking with helicopter.
Best solution is to hit the criminals hard, pursue and decimate them. Until that is done, there will be no respite. Before, criminals run and hide from people and authorities, now, people and authorities run and abandon space for criminals. You will see a man in clean dress followed by one or two armed military orderly going to take train because oga soja doesn't want to be kidnapped by criminals on highway.
Funnily, some months back, I argued with someone on the train from Kaduna to Abuja that it is only a matter of time before they hijack a train, and once the first happens, many more will follow. The first just happened.
A bit of planning would be needed. Intersections for human crossing can be made. Deploying a few 100s-1000 personnel is a waste of manpower especially now we do not have enough soldiers.
CCTV can be at strategic spots, eg places with high human traffic. Regular pruning of trees, bushes close to the tracks, occasional patrols might help too.
There are models out there that could be studied to find a solution to this.
I thought maybe use of 'palisade fences' might work out for the whole stretch of the tracks with CCTV at intermittent positions assuming electricity wasn't a problem.
Or if this is going to keep becoming a security issue, time to go for TBMs and start doing the tracks underground.
Interesting comment @ 4:14 timestamp. ... 'Takes 4 months to build 1 MRAP'. Guessing critical parts importation issues?
I think Nigerian government should start interacting with businesses and highlighting skill/industry shortage lists so other private businesses can fill the vacuum.
Hopeful that next steps will be making engine blocks for cars, ships et al under licence from a local manufacturer.
kabe1: New order for an OCEA survey vessel for Nigeria
12th october 2021
After the delivery in 8 years of 18 ships to the Nigerian Navy, including the NNS LANA, a 60-meter hydrographic research vessel type OSV 190 SC-WB, two 35-meter patrol boats type FPB 110 MKII and two interceptors of 17 m type C-FALCON in 2020, OCEA won an international tender for the supply of a 35-meter hydrographic research vessel type OCEA OSV 115 SC-WB.
Vessel’s missions
OCEA’s OSV 115 SC-WB type vessel is a hydrographic and oceanographic research vessel from the auxiliary vessels range. Intervening in support of the OSV 190 NNS LANA, it will allow the Nigerian Navy to complete the knowledge of its maritime territory.
This company gets to do lots of work with The Navy. Can't they start building or completing some of the ships in Nigeria if raw materials permit?