Sola Ojo, Kaduna

With its ability to locally manufacture operational vehicles to combat crimes, the Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company (NAVMC) needs at least N1bn intervention funds, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai said.

The army boss said Nigerian Army is sourcing for N1billion to boost capacity of its vehicle manufacturing company to produce more combat vehicles to counter terrorists and other insurgents in the country.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of a week-long conference of Nigerian Army Combat Arms Training Week on Saturday at the shooting range of Nigerian Army Infantry Corp, held in Jaji military cantonment, Buratai noted that Nigerian Army new inventions and acquisitions are force multipliers, hence the funds would improve the capacity of the Army.

“Nigeria has recently been bedeviled by different forms of insurgencies: Boko Haram, kidnapping, armed banditry, armed robbery and cattle rustling, but the demonstration of locally made bullet proof ballistic vest, NA Armoured Light tactical vehicles and mine sweeper produced by NAVMC showed that the military will soon be better equipped to stem the challenge”, Buratai added.

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He said, “the innovations by the Nigerian Army in the areas of equipment production, localizing and bringing back vehicles and equipment that are hitherto abandoned, is another major achievement that we recorded.

“You have been promised by the group managing director of NAVMC that in the next three to four months, we should have brand new vehicles originally produced by the Nigerian Army for use in the Army and the general public that may find it useful, especially the paramilitary agencies.

“This we believe will transform the Nigerian Army and Nigerian industrial companies, when we start mass production.

“We are already sourcing for the sum of N1billion to support the Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company. We have a number of investments in the Army that have been generating huge amount of money and we will take a loan from there to support Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company to realize our dream of producing indigenous armoured fighting vehicles and to continue to maintain our existing equipment.”