The Minister of Defence General Christopher Musa (retd) has declared that the country is making progress in its fight against insecurity, urging Nigerians to sustain their support for the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
General Musa, who spoke during an interview at an international defence exhibition in Nigeria, said the military and other security agencies were working tirelessly to secure the country, expressing confidence that continued public support would strengthen ongoing operations.
“We are winning the war. We need them to continue to support us, and we will continue to win,” he said.
He appealed to Nigerians not to lose faith in the country or become discouraged by the security challenges, stressing that cooperation between the government, security agencies and citizens remained essential to achieving lasting peace.
The minister also called on Nigerians to continue supporting President Bola Tinubu, whom he commended for backing initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s defence and security capabilities.
“We want to assure him that the Armed Forces and other security agencies in Nigeria are working tirelessly to make sure that Nigeria is safe and secure,” he said.
He described the ongoing international defence exhibition as an important demonstration of the government’s commitment to national security, noting that Nigeria needed to strengthen its domestic capacity to produce military equipment.
According to him, the country must move beyond dependence on imported military hardware by developing the capacity to manufacture essential equipment locally.
He identified tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs), drones and other military platforms as equipment Nigeria hopes to produce domestically.
“Our own tanks, our own APCs, our own drones and everything together. That is our dream, and I am sure we will achieve that,” he said.
The official explained that local production of military hardware would help position Nigeria within the international defence manufacturing landscape while creating opportunities for technology transfer and cooperation with other countries.
He said the participation of representatives from more than six countries at the exhibition showed international interest in Nigeria’s defence initiatives and the experience it had accumulated in addressing security challenges.
He added that Nigeria had long needed to host an exhibition of this nature, having previously attended similar events in other countries.
“I want to say that it was important to put Nigeria back on the roadmap of hardware production. We need to do this,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to remain united in supporting the country’s security institutions, maintaining that sustained cooperation would be critical to the fight against insecurity.
While expressing optimism about the country’s security efforts, the official did not provide specific operational figures or evidence to quantify the progress he described.
His remarks came amid efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s defence capabilities through improved equipment, international partnerships and the development of indigenous military manufacturing.
