By Harriet Tornguvan
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to modernising the nation’s Armed Forces through strategic international partnerships, local capacity development, technology transfer and sustainable defence industrial cooperation.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, made the declaration during a working visit to Monaco alongside senior ministry officials as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s defence and security architecture.
The visit focused on the implementation of the proposed Multi domain Hybrid Intelligence Shield (HIS) project for the Ministry of Defence, being discussed with MARSS UK Ltd and its Nigerian partner, MPS Mikopowers Ltd.
Speaking during the engagements, Musa stressed the importance of building indigenous operational capacity while leveraging international expertise to tackle emerging security threats, including terrorism, border insecurity, illegal mining, piracy and the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems.
According to him, the Ministry of Defence remains the strategic hub of Nigeria’s defence architecture and must continue to harness modern technology to improve intelligence gathering, surveillance and operational response.
“We must therefore leverage technology for intelligence, surveillance and recurring service. We have partners and allies ready to support us. We will reach out to them to work as a team,” the minister stated.
During the visit, the Nigerian delegation witnessed live operational demonstrations of advanced radar detection systems, artificial intelligence-enabled threat identification, drone interception technologies and integrated national command and control solutions.
Discussions also centred on the proposed establishment of national and regional command centres, mobile response units and a Centre of Excellence for simulation, training and doctrine development.
The engagement further provided an opportunity for deliberations on defence industry collaboration, local production support, technology integration and long-term partnership arrangements between Nigerian defence institutions and international stakeholders.
Officials said the initiative is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s efforts at improving national security, enhancing inter-agency coordination and advancing defence modernisation objectives amid evolving security challenges.
The working visit forms part of Nigeria’s broader defence diplomacy and strategic engagement initiatives aimed at promoting regional stability, operational effectiveness and national resilience.
The delegation was received by officials of MARSS UK Ltd and MPS Mikopowers Ltd, who conducted detailed presentations and live demonstrations of the NiDAR integrated command and control system, anti-drone technologies, mobile surveillance platforms and border security solutions designed to enhance Nigeria’s defence capabilities.
