Emmanuel Onwubiko
From what we have just read up from the definitions encompassed in oxford languages, the concept of industrialization is seen as “the development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale”. Similarly, The Guardian (Lagos) sees industrialization as a process by which an economy moves from primarily agrarian production to mass-produced technologically advanced goods and services. This phase is characterised by exponential leaps in productively, shifts from rural to urban labour, and increased standards of living”. However, the first scholar we quoted says industrialization is beset by numerous challenges including low capacity utilization; unstable infrastructure (which impacts on the costs of doing business); absence of ventures capital for business start ups, high cost of capital especially from banks and other financial institutions; lack of longs term loan and absence of enabling environment.
Dr. Obi .I. Iwuagwu of the Department of History, University of Lagos said “Since Nigeria became independent in 1960, achieving economic development through rapid industrialization has remained a major challenge”. The academic who wrote on the theme; “Nigeria and the challenge of industrial development: The New cluster Strategy” stated that industrialization has actually constituted the fundamental focal point of almost political administrators that Nigeria has ever had.
The above is factually accurate because in the current dispensation, the Nigeria Army under the capable leadership pf Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai; as well as the other segments of the Armed forces of Nigeria, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has actually made landmark achievements in the area of industrialization and indigenisation of military technology in such a way that the end products have been effectively deployed in waging the war on terror to some appreciable level and successes. The Nigerian Army’s engineering corps clearly has embraced the essential elements of local productions; construction and manufacturing as the official modus operandi in line with the industrialization mantra of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Remarkable and empirical successes have been recorded in such a way that a lot of roads and housing assets have been locally fabricated and constructed by the Nigerian Army.
On 3rd December, 2019, Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, commissioned the first locally made Mine Resistance Ambush Protection Vehicle, called Ezeugwu MRAP to join the military inventory used for Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency operations in Northeast.
A top military Officer informed media watchers that Ezeugwu MRAP will join the infantry patrol vehicles that were earlier produced as testimony that Nigerian military efforts are yielding positive results as Buhari had noted during the commissioning. The senior officer explained that Ezeugwu, is a 4 by 4 resistance ambush protection vehicle, designed to carry out extraction of troops , assault and counter-terrorism operations, especially in the North East terrain. “Since it’s unveiling, Ezeugwu MRAP have been tested and proven to be a game changer in the fight against insurgency in the country, because of its features and capacity to ward off terrorists. The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Command Engineering Depot (CED) have also continued to work hard to improve the vehicle.
“The improved Ezeugwu MRAP has been tested in the northeast with optimal results and the feedback of its exploits from the theatre of operations led to the production of five additional units of the MRAP bringing its total in the operation to 10 units,” the officer said.
MRAP has a maximum output of 375 horsepower, turbo charged diesel engine, with the maximum Turk of 1650 Newton meters and its primary and secondary armament are 12.7 anti- aircraft gun and 7.62mm LMG GPMG. It is designed to resist mine blast of up to 12 kilograms TMT and can protect the troops inside the vehicle.
According to further information made available by sources from a documentary video, Ezeugwu MRAP is versatile in counter-insurgency vehicle that poses threat to adversaries. It has been acknowledged by the federal ministry of science and technology at the technology and innovation expo 2020 and the Kaduna chamber of commerce industry, mines and agriculture at the 41st Kaduna international trade fair to be a game changer in addressing security challenges confronting the nation. The Chief Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, noted that in addition to boosting the fight against terrorism, the production of Ezeugwu MRAP, is a good step in reducing the country’s reliance on foreign made war machinery.
“There is the dire need to begin a 360 degrees deviation from the reliance on importation of all classes of tactical and heavy and operational vehicles to the indigenous production of mobility war machinery”, Buratai said. Ezeugwu MRAP was named by the COAS in honour of the Director General of DICON, Major General Victor Ezeugwu, a veteran whose foresight and contribution led to the actualisation of the Nigerian army vision of producing indigenous military fighting vehicles that meet the requirements of Nigerian needs in tackling insurgency in the northeast.
But as is well known, good thing often attracts attention and in some cases, certain claims are manufactured to try to detract from the essence of the landmark achievements. The same scenario played up as soon as the Nigerian Army introduced these combat vehicles but the Army rapidly diffused the needless cacophony of confusion.
The Army said that the attention of the Nigerian Army (NA)has been drawn to an online publication with a caption – “Meet Emmanuel Ezugwu: Military War Vehicle Named After Him”. In the light of the above erroneous and misleading publication, the NA finds it necessary to correct the gross misrepresentation and wrong assertion and to put the records very clear that the Emmanuel Ezugwu referred to in the publication is NOT the brain behind the Nigerian Army locally manufactured Mine Resistance Anti- Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAP). The NA MRAP was indeed conceptualized, invented and designed by a serving army General – Major General Victor Okwudili Ezugwu the current Director General Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria. Major General Victor Okwudili Ezugwu NOT Prof Emmanuel Ezugwu not only conceptualized and designed the production of the first ever Nigerian made MRAP, but also diligently supervised the production from the beginning to the end at the Army Command Engineering Depot (CED), Kaduna. For record, history and posterity, find below a brief history of Maj Gen Victor Okwudili Ezugwu and the MRAP. Maj. Gen. Victor Okwudili Ezugwu was born on the 28 June 1964. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna on 27 September 1985 as a member of 37 Regular Combatant and Commissioned to the rank of 2Lt on 22 September 1990.
An infantry officer of high professional rating, he served Nigeria meritoriously in ECOMOG/UN Operations in Sierra Leone and Liberia and Operation RESTORE HOPE in Niger Delta. He commanded 28 Task Force Brigade in Adamawa State and 7 Division Maiduguri as General Officer Commanding from 2015 – 2017. He was appointed Director General Defence Industries Corporation on 3 June 2019.
An engineer by mere providence and passion, he initiated the design and production of prototypes variants of Light, tactical patrol as well as Armoured Fighting Vehicles by DICON-CED Kaduna. In recognition of these feats, the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen TY Buratai rewarded his achievements by naming the first indigenous MRAP as Ezugwu. The Nigerian Army had earlier elevated the principle of buy made in Nigeria by showing the spirit of patriotism when the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai bought shoes for the soldiers from Aba in Abia state Nigeria as a demonstration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy of encouraging local manufacturing and ultimately promote industrialization.
Onwubiko is the Head of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and blogs @www.huriwanigeria.com, www.thenigerianinsidernews.com.