The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) says Nigeria will commence local production of uniforms for its military and paramilitary personnel with effect from January 2023.
These uniforms are expected to be produced by Sur Corporate Wear Nigeria Limited which is created from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Sur Corporate Wear.
This disclosure is contained in a statement signed by ICRC’s Acting Head, Media and Publicity, Manji Yarling, on Monday in Abuja, where he said that the production of the uniforms would be a joint venture project.
What the ICRC is saying
ICRC in its statement said, “The DICON Sur collaboration which will span a concession period of 20 years, will be responsible for producing uniforms for the Army, Navy, Air force, Police, Civil Defence and other military and paramilitary organisations.’’
The Acting Director-General of ICRC, Micheal Ohiani, in a meeting, urged all stakeholders in the project to resolve all issues making the completion of the factory very difficult and reporting to the commission within a week.
Also, Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, Director, Contract Compliance Department, ICRC, during the rescheduled meeting, urged all stakeholders to ensure that the project was completed within the stipulated time frame, as it is important to the country, helping to curb capital flight and create at least 920 jobs.
Company to source raw materials locally
The ICRC Director said that as the project progressed, the DICON Sur joint venture is expected to commence the sourcing of all its raw materials from within Nigeria.
- He said, “The fact that we produce our military and paramilitary uniforms locally is a pride to all of us. It is a pride that we all must uphold.
- “Sudan is producing their own military kits and I know DICON can do it if they have the right support.’’
- Ewalefoh assured all stakeholders that ICRC would liaise with all the relevant government agencies to fast-track the ongoing process of securing approval for off-takers when production would begin in January.
- He said that going forward, ICRC through its Contract Compliance Department, would make the DICON Sur project a priority and monitor its progress until completed.
Bottom line
- The successful implementation will help reduce capital flight in the country as well as reduce the pressure on the exchange rate and foreign reserve. This will also lead to the creation of millions of jobs.
- This initiative also has the capacity to contribute to the transformation of the economy and revive the textile and garment industries by creating over 2 million jobs, improving internal revenue across 3 tiers of government, and reducing the $4 billion import bill incurred annually on textile and apparel.
I appreciate Chike Olisah’s efforts in writing this article.
It is essential to understand the project to make an informed decision.
I agree that the production of uniforms locally will help reduce capital flight and create jobs.
It is also important to note that the DICON Sur joint venture is expected to commence sourcing all its raw materials from within Nigeria.
This is a positive step that will help the country become more self-sufficient.
I believe that the successful implementation of this project has the potential to transform the economy and revive the textile and garment industries.
I think it is essential to monitor the project’s progress closely to ensure that it is completed on time and that the desired results are achieved.
Uniforms that could be produced in Aba all along. We are still talking about producing our military uniforms locally by this time.
Please get your PVC and be Obidiently Peterized.
What an embarrassing statement, that will be 63yrs after independence , we WILL start producing uniforms, for armed forces, police , Civil defence , NYSC, etc , when will u people start producing shoes , or polish maybe in another 50yrs , for Dicon to release this pls what do they expect me to do , start celebrating definitely NOT, what a shame