The federal government says Nigeria will begin local production of uniforms for military and paramilitary personnel from January 2023.

In a statement on Monday, Manji Yarling, spokesperson for the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), said the production would be a joint venture project.

The commission said that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Sur Corporate Wear would lead to the creation of Sur Corporate Wear Nig. Ltd.

“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,” it said.

In a meeting, the acting director-general of ICRC, Micheal Ohiani, charged all stakeholders in the project to resolve all issues hindering the completion of the factory and report to the commission in one week.

Also, Jobson Ewalefoh, director, the Contract Compliance Department, ICRC, during the rescheduled meeting, urged all stakeholders to ensure that the project was completed within the stipulated time frame.

Mr Ewalefoh said the project was important to the nation as it would curb capital flight and create fewer than 920 jobs.

He said that the project would also be a thing of pride for the nation to produce its uniforms.

“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,” he said.

Mr 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 begins in January.

He said that going forward, ICRC, through its Contract Compliance Department, would prioritise the DICON Sur project and monitor its progress until completed.

The Managing Director, Sur Corporate Wear Nig. Ltd., Burhan Karabulut, commended the management of ICRC for intervening and ensuring that the project was hitch-free.

The ICRC is a federal government agency responsible for developing and implementing the public-private partnership framework to provide infrastructure services.

(NAN)