Insecurity: Kalu Urges Local Arms Production, Stronger Measures Against Terror Financing

0

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called for increased local production of arms and military equipment as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign defence imports.

Kalu also urged the financial sector to intensify measures aimed at blocking illicit financial flows that sustain criminal and terrorist activities across the country.

The Deputy Speaker made the call on Saturday in Abuja while speaking at the Nigeria People’s Strategic Conference and Defence Exhibition 2026, themed “Building a Modern Security Ecosystem: Integrating Private Sector Capacity into Nigeria’s National Security Architecture.”

He said addressing Nigeria’s security challenges requires a coordinated approach involving government institutions, the private sector, civil society organisations and security agencies, stressing that each stakeholder must play a clearly defined role in safeguarding the nation.

According to him, Nigeria must build a self-sustaining defence industry capable of producing the equipment required to meet its security needs while creating jobs and reducing vulnerabilities associated with dependence on foreign suppliers.

“Every sector represented in this room must leave with a specific, measurable role in Nigeria’s security architecture,” Kalu said.

“The defence industry must deepen local capacity so that we do not import what we can produce. The technology sector must offer platforms for intelligence sharing and community early warning. The financial sector must tighten the chokepoints through which criminal and terrorist financing flows. The civil society must continue to build the bridges between communities and government that make sustainable peace possible.”

He assured participants that the National Assembly would continue to provide the legal framework necessary to support national security initiatives through constitutional reforms, budgetary allocations and effective oversight.

“And the legislature, we will continue to provide the legal scaffolding on which all of this is built. We will continue to review the constitution where it needs reviewing. We will appropriate resources where resources are needed. We will provide oversight to ensure that what is promised is delivered. We will legislate not for public applause but for the protection of lives and the dignity of every Nigerian,” he said.

Kalu further highlighted the recent passage of the State Police constitutional amendment bill by the House of Representatives, describing the overwhelming support it received as evidence of lawmakers’ commitment to addressing the country’s security challenges.

“I am proud to serve in an assembly that just two days ago voted 289 to 2 in favour of a safer Nigeria. That near-unanimity was not partisan. It was patriotic. And it must be matched by an equal unity of purpose in this room today,” he stated.

The Deputy Speaker urged stakeholders across sectors to work together toward building a more secure and stable nation, insisting that security must remain a collective responsibility.

“There is a Nigeria on the other side of this season. That Nigeria is not a promise. It is a project. A project that belongs to all of us; both the legislature and the executive, the uniform and the suit, the community and the corporation, the government and the governed.

“We are a people worth fighting for. This republic is worth building. And let this moment be the moment we decide, formally and finally, to build it together,” he added.

Kalu also rejected suggestions that Nigeria was on the path to failure, arguing that despite persistent security challenges, the country has continued to demonstrate resilience and determination.

“Nigeria is not failing. Nigeria is fighting. There is a difference. A failing country stops trying. Nigeria has never stopped trying. That is our heritage. That is our irreducible character.

“But resilience must be met by structure. Courage must be met by policy. The sacrifice of the Nigerian people deserves a security ecosystem worthy of the sacrifice,” he said.

The conference attracted key stakeholders from the defence industry, financial institutions, security agencies and civil society organisations, who gathered to explore ways of strengthening collaboration in building a modern and effective national security framework.