THE HOUSE of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to provide structured capital support to verified Nigerian drone manufacturing companies to enhance security operations in the country.
The call was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Rep. Ademorin Kuye (APC-Lagos) at plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.
The house resolved that companies such as Beirech UAS, Terra Industries, Elites Group, Pro-force and AFIT should be supported.
The lawmakers called for the activation of appropriate financing vehicles, including Bank of Industry (BoI), Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and others, to scale-up operations to meet military procurement standards.
Earlier, Kuye said that Nigeria faced persistent and evolving security threats such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and vandalism.
He said these threats had continued to challenge the operational capacity of Nigeria’s armed forces and security agencies.
The lawmaker said that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, had become indispensable tools of modern warfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance and counter-insurgency operations globally.
According to him, non-state armed groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP), are already deploying commercial drones against Nigerian troops.
He said that Nigeria had taken commendable early steps in indigenous drone manufacturing, including the development of Tsaigumi UAV by Nigerian Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2018.
Kuye further stated that Nigeria’s drone manufacturing ecosystem remained largely private-sector driven, lightly capitalised and insufficiently supported by structured state policy.
He said that lack of technology transfer frameworks, legislative incentives or dedicated defence industrial zones had limited its scale, sophistication and strategic impact.
The house, therefore, mandated the committees on defence, national security and intelligence, science and technology, industry and commerce to develop and adopt a National Drone Industrialisation Policy (NDIP).
The house said that the policy should establish a clear roadmap for growing Nigeria’s drone manufacturing sector from its current entrepreneurial stage to a structured and state-supported strategic industry.
It also mandated the committees, in collaboration with relevant agencies, to identify and formalise technology transfer agreements with reputable international drone manufacturers.
The house also mandated the committees to facilitate the training of Nigerian engineers, localisation of production and progressive reduction of imported components.
Furthermore, the house mandated the Committees on Defence, Industry and Commerce to work with relevant agencies to create and designate dedicated Defence Industrial Zones for drone manufacturing, research and maintenance.
The green chambers said that it should be backed by appropriate fiscal incentives, infrastructure support and regulatory frameworks to attract both foreign and local investors;
The house tasked the committees on the legislative review of existing laws governing defence procurement, local content, aviation and investment incentives.
This, it said, was with a view to enacting or amending legislation that would create a conducive environment for drone industrialisation.
The house said that the proposed legislation should include tax exemptions and protection of intellectual property developed by Nigerian engineers.
In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, mandated the committees to report back within four weeks for further legislative action. (NAN)
