Terra Industries, the fast-rising Nigerian defence-tech firm behind locally built drones and automated surveillance systems, has brought back Nnamdi Chife as vice president of military relations, a move that deepens its foothold in Nigeria’s armed forces ecosystem just as the company transitions from prototype to production partnerships.
The appointment, announced Monday on X, reunites Chife with the startup where he previously served on the board in 2023 during the critical early days of establishing its robotics factory in Abuja.
He departed in 2024 amid a rebranding from Terrahaptix to Terra Industries and a broader restructuring, but his return arrives at a pivotal inflection point.
In February, Terra signed a memorandum of understanding with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), the military-run state defence manufacturer, to form a joint venture focused on local assembly, research, development, and training in drones, robotics, and cybersecurity.
Read also: Nigeria moves to cut defence imports as DICON, Terra launch drone, cybersecurity production venture
The deal embeds Terra deeper into Nigeria’s formal defence industrial base, shifting emphasis from standalone product innovation toward navigating procurement cycles, compliance, and long-term institutional alignment with the armed forces.
Chife, who holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies and specialises in counter-insurgency, brings more than 15 years of defence-sector experience in Nigeria.
He has led military delegations on weapons acquisitions internationally and built a reputation advising on internal security challenges, including the country’s persistent kidnapping and insurgency threats.
Before his earlier stint with Terra, he founded Chive GPS, a Lagos security intelligence firm that has collaborated with agencies like the EFCC on fraud investigations, asset tracing, and geolocation work.
In his new role, Chife will spearhead Terra’s military engagement strategy, manage relationships across the armed forces, and offer direct advisory input to CEO Nathan Nwachuku and the board. The company framed the hire as key to developing smart weapons systems” tailored for Nigeria’s military and other African forces confronting terrorism and insurgency.
Terra’s momentum has accelerated rapidly. Founded in 2023 by Nwachuku and co-founder Maxwell Maduka, both in their early 20s, the startup has positioned itself as a homegrown alternative to imported defence technology at a time when Nigeria faces mounting insecurity and political pressure to build domestic manufacturing capacity.
Read also: Terrahaptix: Nigeria’s young guns building Africa’s autonomous defense fortress
Earlier this year, it closed $34 million from investors including 8VC, Lux Capital, and Resilience17 Capital, cementing its status as Africa’s most-funded defence-tech venture.
The Chife hire signals maturity. As Terra integrates into state-led defence structures through DICON, success will hinge less on engineering alone and more on trust-building, expectation management, and navigating bureaucratic realities.
With Chife’s networks and on-the-ground credibility in security circles, the company gains a seasoned bridge between agile startup execution and the deliberate pace of military decision-making.
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