Defence Minister Reaffirms Commitment to Military Modernisation During Monaco Visit

Defence Minister Reaffirms Commitment to Military Modernisation During Monaco Visit

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to modernising the Armed Forces through strategic partnerships, local capacity development, technology transfer, and sustainable defence industrial cooperation.

The minister made the statement during a working visit to Monaco alongside senior officials of the Ministry of Defence.

The visit focused on discussions surrounding the proposed Multi-domain Hybrid Intelligence Shield (HIS) project being developed for the Ministry in collaboration with MARSS UK Ltd and its Nigerian partner, MPS Mikopowers Ltd.

According to the ministry, the engagements included practical demonstrations, technical sessions, and strategic discussions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s national defence architecture through advanced command, control, surveillance, and integrated security technologies.

Musa stressed the importance of building indigenous operational capacity while leveraging international expertise to tackle emerging security threats such as terrorism, border insecurity, illegal mining, piracy, and threats posed by unmanned aerial systems.

“The Ministry is the strategic brain of the nation’s defence architecture. 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 said.

During the visit, the Nigerian delegation observed live demonstrations of radar detection systems, artificial intelligence-enabled threat identification technologies, drone interception systems, and integrated national command-and-control solutions.

The sessions also covered proposals for establishing national and regional command centres, mobile response units, and a Centre of Excellence for simulation, training, and doctrine development.

The ministry stated that the visit also created opportunities for broader discussions on defence industry collaboration, local production support, technology integration, and long-term partnership arrangements between Nigerian defence institutions and international stakeholders.

Officials noted that the engagements are expected to support Nigeria’s efforts to improve national security, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and advance ongoing defence modernisation initiatives.

The delegation was received by representatives of MARSS UK Ltd and MPS Mikopowers Ltd, who conducted presentations and live demonstrations of the NiDAR integrated command-and-control system, anti-drone technologies, mobile surveillance platforms, and border security solutions designed to boost Nigeria’s defence capabilities.

Defence Minister Reaffirms Commitment to Military Modernisation During Monaco Visit