Defence Minister Calls for Homegrown Security Technologies

By Tgnews Reporter

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), has urged Nigerian innovators, startups, and researchers to channel their expertise toward developing indigenous solutions to the country’s security challenges, stressing that modern security demands technological innovation alongside military capability.

Speaking at the Omniverse Africa 3.0 Summit in Lagos on Thursday, General Musa said Nigeria must move beyond being a consumer of defence technology and become a producer of homegrown security solutions capable of addressing emerging threats.

Delivering a keynote address titled “The 70/30 Rule: Why Nigeria’s Security and Innovation Agendas are the Same National Project,” the Defence Minister noted that national security in the 21st century can no longer rely solely on conventional military hardware.

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

General 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 linked the initiative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, highlighting ongoing reforms at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) aimed at creating an ecosystem where defence investments stimulate economic growth, generate high-tech employment opportunities, support university research, and open new commercial markets.

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

He, however, clarified that the platform was not intended for procurement discussions but for capability development and strategic planning.

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

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