KADUNA - Maj. Gen. Nnaemeka Maduegbunam, the Director-General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Kaduna, has identified economic advancement as the outfit’s main concern.
Maduegunam speaking in Kaduna when he received Dr. Magnus Kpakol, a Presidential Senior Special Assistant and National Coordinator of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), on courtesy visit.
The DG said his corporation and NAPEP could partner to help the poor in developing their cottage industries by manufacturing made in Nigeria machines for use.
“If you bring any machine here, we can clone it. We have the manpower and the professionalism to operate and manufacture genuine parts.
“The products are cheaper than those in the market and more genuine because of the heating process they go through.
“Take the Keke NAPEP for instance, if given the order to produce, we can clone the exact replica,’’ Maduegbunam said.
Maduegbunam said Nigeria’s founding fathers had foresight when they established DICON in 1964 because their intention was that Nigeria would one day be technologically independent.According to him, the corporation was established to produce its own ammunitions, firearms, machines, pellets, windmills and other related products.
In his response, Kpakol said the visit was an eye-opener because the corporation could turn around the fortunes of the poor.
“We appreciate what you are doing here and would like to encourage and urge you to keep up the good job.
“We can now locally produce our wind mills, rice milling machines and groundnut processing machines and this is good news for the rural dwellers.
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