By Bavoriat Clara
The Honourable Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa, OFR, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to modernising the Armed Forces through strategic partnerships, local capacity development, technology transfer and sustainable defence industrial cooperation.
According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations for the Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr Enderline Chukwu, the Honourable Minister made this known during a working visit to Monaco alongside senior Ministry officials. The visit focused on the implementation of the proposed Multi-domain Hybrid Intelligence Shield (HIS) project for the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with MARSS UK Ltd and its Nigerian partner, MPS Mikopowers Ltd.
General Musa explained that the visit centred on practical demonstrations, technical engagements and strategic discussions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s national defence architecture through advanced command, control, surveillance and integrated security technologies. He stressed the importance of developing indigenous operational capacity while leveraging international expertise to tackle emerging security threats such as terrorism, border insecurity, illegal mining, piracy and the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems.
The Honourable Minister of Defence noted that the Ministry of Defence remains the strategic hub of the nation’s defence architecture and therefore must embrace technology-driven intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. He added that Nigeria would continue to engage with international partners and allies to enhance national security through collaborative efforts and modern defence solutions.
During the engagements, the Nigerian delegation witnessed live demonstrations of radar detection systems, artificial intelligence-enabled threat identification, drone interception technologies and integrated national command and control solutions. Discussions also covered plans for the establishment of national and regional command centres, mobile response units and a Centre of Excellence for simulation, training and doctrine development.
The visit also provided an avenue for talks on defence industry collaboration, local production support, technology integration and long-term partnership arrangements between Nigerian defence institutions and international stakeholders. Officials of MARSS UK Ltd and MPS Mikopowers Ltd received the delegation and conducted detailed presentations on the NiDAR integrated command and control system, anti-drone technologies, mobile surveillance platforms and border security solutions aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s defence and security capabilities.
The Ministry noted that the engagements are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s efforts toward improving national security, enhancing inter-agency coordination and advancing the country’s defence modernisation objectives, while also promoting regional stability, operational effectiveness and national resilience in the face of evolving global security challenges.
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