Steel Development, Defence Ministers Advance Plans for Military Industrial Complex, Production of Military Hardware in Ajaokuta
The Honourable Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, and the Honourable Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, MON, held a strategic meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at the Ship House, Defence Headquarters in Abuja, as part of ongoing efforts to deepen inter-ministerial collaboration for the production of military hardware and the establishment of a Defence Industrial Hub in Ajaokuta.
The meeting centred on finalising the framework for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Steel Development, aimed at the production of military-equipments and the establishment of a Military Industrial Complex at the Ajaokuta Steel Plant in Kogi State.
This initiative stems from a collaboration formalised in March 2024 under the leadership of both ministers, in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The goal is to leverage local capacity to drive the Federal Government’s vision of self-reliance in military hardware production and national industrialization in line with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (“DICON”) Act 2023.
Lizzy Okoji
Special Assistant on Media to the Honourable Minister of Steel Development,
Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu
June 17, 2025
