Odita Sunday 
Matawalle Moves to Arm Nigerian Forces With Advanced Czech Military Hardware
By Odita Sunday
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, has intensified efforts to secure modern military hardware and technological support for the Nigerian Armed Forces in the ongoing fight against terrorism and banditry.
Matawalle made the move during his participation in the Czech Air Force Days at Mošnov Airfield, Ostrava, Czech Republic, where he inspected a range of advanced land and air military platforms and held strategic meetings with senior Czech military commanders.
The minister, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defence Chief Information Officer, Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, expressed Nigeria’s interest in acquiring and deploying advanced platforms capable of strengthening ongoing military operations against terrorists and bandits.
Matawalle, who was accompanied by the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Sulaiman Halilu, and Chairman of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), Dahiru Muhammed, also led a delegation comprising officials of the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
During the visit, Matawalle and his delegation, alongside the CEO of DEFCON, Peter Markvart, toured exhibition stands showcasing advanced military equipment and platforms for land and air operations.
Among the platforms inspected were the L-39 Skyfox Jet Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft, as well as the L-410NG Multipurpose Transport Aircraft.
The delegation also visited the stands of Colt CZ Group, manufacturers of BREN-2 and BREN-3 assault rifles, M4 and AR-15 rifles, EVO-3 sub-machine guns, arms and ammunition of various calibres and ballistic protective equipment.
The delegation further inspected equipment manufactured by MESIT, including tactical radios and passive surveillance systems known as VERA.
The companies’ chief executives, Andrej Furin, Petr Holouk and Ivan Ivanov, briefed the minister on the capabilities and operational functions of the various platforms and equipment on display.
Matawalle commended the Czech defence companies for their commitment to developing increasingly sophisticated military technologies, stressing that Nigeria needed such platforms to strengthen the fight against terrorism and banditry.
He said the advanced technologies on display demonstrated the importance of modern military equipment in enhancing the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces.
In response, the companies assured the minister of their readiness to provide modern military platforms and technological support to Nigeria, including equipment capable of supporting ongoing security operations.
The minister’s Czech engagement also extended to high-level military consultations as he separately met the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Miroslav Hlaváč; Commander of the Czech Land Forces, Maj. Gen. Josef Trojánek; and Commander of the Czech Air Force, Brig. Gen. Petr Tománek.
The meetings focused on strengthening military cooperation between Nigeria and the Czech Republic, particularly in the areas of training, equipment maintenance and the provision of technologically advanced platforms to the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The Czech military chiefs, in their separate responses, expressed their willingness to provide the necessary support to assist the Nigerian Armed Forces in the ongoing operations against terrorism and banditry.
The development comes amid Nigeria’s continued efforts to strengthen the technological and equipment capabilities of its armed forces in confronting terrorism, banditry and other security threats across the country.
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