President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday ordered the Police, military, paramilitary and other uniform agencies to patronise a fashion company known as DICON-Surcorporate Wear for all their uniforms when it becomes operational by the year 2021.
President Buhari, who stated this in Kaduna where he performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the public private partnership (PPP) garment and clothing company said this is important as part of his administration to leave behind a living legacy.
Mr. President, who was represented by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, noted that the idea of partnering the Turkish company was to further cement the existing relationship between the two countries as well as guiding against the nefarious activities of criminal elements who sew fake security uniforms.
The company is expected to employ between 1,000 and 1,500 persons in its first year of operation and later 5,000 direct jobs.
“There is therefore the need to establish modern garment factory to produce befitting uniforms for our armed forces and other security agencies.
“I am equally delighted that part of the value chain of this industry is the creation of additional 1,000 workforces when the factory is fully operational from 2021.
“Since the basic raw material for the factory is cotton, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe and Katsina states are expected to create additional opportunities through this value chain.
“Let me at this juncture reaffirm the commitment and desire of this government to welcome all genuine investors who want to invest in socio-economy and industrial opportunities which abound in Nigeria.
“I wish to seize this opportunity to assure Nigeria’s prospective partners and investors that the federal government of Nigeria has policies on ease of doing business, local content development and other micro and macro policies that aim at encouraging foreign indirect investment in Nigerian economy.
“Accordingly, all relevant MDAs are, hereby, directed to support the Dicon-Sur Corporate Wear Nigeria Limited to become one of the success stories of this administration in garment and textile sub-sector.
“Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Police Affairs and Ministry of Interior should ensure that this directive is strictly complied with. In this light, I hereby direct that Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigeria Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps and other paramilitary and uniform agencies to procure their uniforms and relevant accessories from this factory when it becomes operational,” he directed.
Earlier in his remark, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, said that DICON, which was established in 1964 with the mandate of producing the military and para-military defence equipment needs of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies, had not met the desired expectations of the nation.
On his part, the President, Sur Corporate Wear Turkey, Mr Oktay Ercan, described the occasion as a dream come true, adding that the clothing and other accessories company targets 1,000 employees which is expected to grow to 5,000.
