Going by the increasing level of insecurity in the country, especially the insurgency in the North-Eastern part of the country, Proforce Limited, a defence solutions provider that specialises in weapons, armoured vehicles and personal protection, has begun moves to expand production lines for weapons and armoured personnel carriers in Ogun state.
The only armoured vehicles manufacturer in Sub-Saharan Africa, based in Ode-Remo, Ogun state, has resolved to produce more weapons and armoured vehicles to combat increasing level of insecurity and save the country huge capital flights going into the imports of weapons, arms, and ammunition as well as armoured personnel carriers on yearly basis.
Speaking during a tour of Proforce Limited Production lines led by Kikelomo Longe, Ogun State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment at the weekend, Adetokunbo Ogundeyin, Managing Director of Proforce Limited, said it is imperative and economical for the country if Proforce could increase the production of weapons and armoured personnel carriers in order to cut foreign exchange used to import weapons and create more employment opportunities for Nigerians.
Ogundeyin, who disclosed that Proforce already had Nigerian Armed Forces such as Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Airforce, Nigeria Police Force, among other Para-military agencies as to its clients, noted that it is high time the country faced the insecurity and insurgency frontally and cut huge annual expenses being spent on the imports of weapons and armoured vehicles.
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He said, “Proforce Limited is the only armoured vehicles manufacturer in Sub-Saharan Africa and we are trying to expand into the production of more weapons to meet increasing demand in the country and beyond. We can only call on the government, especially Ogun state government to help in addressing challenges being faced in getting more portions of land approved for the expansion and new factory.”
Responding on behalf of the Ogun state government, Commissioner for Industry, Trade, and Investment, Kikelomo Longe,
pledged to address challenges hindering the expansion plans of Proforce Limited and various industries in the state that intend to increase their production lines and capacities and expand their factories, assuring that the government would take action on their requests for more land approvals and other challenges, to ensure their plans come to fruition.
“I am extremely thrilled that despite the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic more industries in Ogun State including the four industries we have visited in the last two days are all taking steps to expand their production lines and factories. As a responsive government, we would address those issues they have raised including requests for more land. We would even look into more areas in which we can help them achieve their plans”, she said.
The Commissioner, who was accompanied by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Olu Old Aikulola, noted that the companies’ expansion plans would give a boost to the economy as well as gainfully employ youths in the state, just as she assured that the government would not relent in its efforts at improving the ease of doing business in the state.
