The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, recently handed over two advanced unmanned water vessels, named S2 and S3 Swift Sea Stalkers, to President Bola Tinubu, marking a significant donation to Nigeria by the Swift Ship Company based in the United States.
According to Henshaw Ogubike, the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Defence, this generous donation was officially announced on Friday, December 5.
The purpose of these state-of-the-art vessels is to bolster Nigeria’s security measures in combating insecurity on its waterways, particularly in areas like the Niger Delta, Lake Chad, and other maritime regions.
During the presentation at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Matawalle highlighted that these cutting-edge technologies are meant to be deployed immediately in the ongoing efforts to address security challenges.
He shared that the donation stemmed from his recent visit to the United States, focused on exploring innovative technologies to enhance the efficiency of the Nigerian military in dealing with contemporary security threats.
Moreover, Matawalle expressed his intention to foster partnerships with US companies for potential local production of military hardware in collaboration with Nigeria’s Defence Industries Corporation (DICON).
This strategic alliance aims to enable Nigeria to acquire knowledge in modern military hardware production methods, aligning with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s agenda of fostering peace and security in the nation.
During his trip to the US, Matawalle inspected various facilities, including rapid deployment mobile RADAR systems, unmanned water vehicles, drone ground control stations, and compact biometric search-scan systems, among others.
The Minister reassured President Tinubu that the advanced military and intelligence hardware provided will significantly bolster Nigeria’s efforts in combating insecurity across the country.
