10 pieces of equipment Nigeria needs to start mass-producing if she is serious about addressing her current security challenges

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Armoured personnel carriers

[2] Helicopter gunships

[3] Assault rifles with a better accuracy than the AK47

[4] Bulletproof vests

[5] Surveillance drones

[6] Flame throwers

[7] 30-round magazine cartridges

[8] Landmine sweepers

[9] Multiple rocket launchers

[10] Transport helicopters

Since independence, we have erroneously believed that we can go on the open market and buy what we want when we need it. Such naive thinking has made us a dependent and parasitic nation.

We need to address this intellectual laziness if we are to come out of our current hiatus as a nation. I find it perplexing that we are not ashamed of how dependent we have become as a people.

During World War Two, the UK was practically a US aircraft carrier and the Americans offered the Brits all they wanted in terms of hardware. However, national pride did not let them accept all these free handouts.

Like any nation with pride, the UK opted to manufacture its own battle tanks, fighters, bombers, battleships, submarines, etc. Now, the question is when do we develop this type of sense of pride we a people?