Defence Minister Pushes Local Innovation for National Security

The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), has called on Nigerian innovators, researchers and technology startups to develop homegrown solutions to address the country's growing security challenges.

Musa made the call while delivering a keynote address at the Omniverse Africa 3.0 Summit in Lagos, where he stressed the need for Nigeria to move from being a consumer of defence technology to becoming a producer.

Speaking on the theme, “The 70/30 Rule: Why Nigeria’s Security and Innovation Agendas are the Same National Project,” the minister said modern security challenges require a blend of military capability, technological innovation and industrial development.

According to him, national security in the 21st century can no longer depend solely on conventional military hardware, adding that emerging technologies are increasingly shaping the future of defence operations worldwide.

“The future requires us to complement courage with technology, foresight, industrial capability and innovation. We must secure the nation today, but we must also build the capabilities that will secure the nation tomorrow,” he said.

Musa disclosed that the Ministry of Defence is restructuring its doctrine, acquisition processes and training programmes to prioritise critical areas such as unmanned systems and robotics, surveillance technologies, cybersecurity, secure communications, artificial intelligence governance, data-driven decision-making tools and advanced domestic manufacturing.

He said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on industrialisation and economic growth, noting that ongoing reforms at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria are aimed at creating an ecosystem where defence investments can drive economic expansion, create high-tech jobs, support university research and open up new commercial opportunities.

As part of efforts to strengthen collaboration between the military and the technology sector, the minister launched the Defence Futures Lab Pathway, a platform convened by Kryterion to deepen engagement between defence stakeholders and innovators.

He, however, clarified that the initiative was not a procurement exercise but a platform for strategic foresight and capability development.

“This is an opportunity to think ahead, organise better and explore practical ways of strengthening the wider defence ecosystem,” he said.

Participants at the roundtable agreed to reconvene in three months to review progress, assess emerging technology concepts and align future actions with the Federal Government’s indigenous defence production strategy.