A former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called for a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s defence strategy, proposing the removal of the Minister of Defence position and a shift towards heavy investment in drone technology to tackle the country’s worsening insecurity.
Naijaonpoint reports that Sowore made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme, where he criticised what he described as outdated military procurement practices and bureaucratic bottlenecks in the defence sector.
According to the activist, unmanned aerial vehicles offer a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to conventional military assets such as fighter jets.
“If I’m president of Nigeria, I’m not buying any jet anymore. I’m buying unmanned aerial vehicles. I want to invest in drones. They are pretty expensive, but they are more effective,” Sowore said.
He argued that drones could play a critical role in combating kidnappings, banditry and other security threats across the country.
Sowore explained that drones could be deployed quickly to monitor and track criminal elements in difficult terrains, giving security agencies the advantage of real-time intelligence.
“Because you can just have five persons operate ten drones. Even the drones that they buy for two thousand dollars, I have two of them, and they get seized all the time. They can cover a four-kilometre radius within twenty minutes,” he stated.
He added, “That is to say, if I have ten unmanned [drones] and I have operators, and I hear there is a kidnapper walking in the bush, I can use that drone to at least track them for a while, until the police can then conduct their cordon.”
Sowore further noted that Nigeria’s forests are not vast enough to render drone surveillance ineffective.
“It can go four kilometres, and there are not too many forests that are longer than, let’s say, ten kilometres in terms of thickness,” he said.
Emphasising the cost-benefit advantage, Sowore said relatively inexpensive drones could significantly improve security outcomes if deployed in large numbers.
He said, “And some of these small, inexpensive drones, I’m not saying that’s what you should use, cost you two thousand dollars.
“And if you buy a hundred of them for a state, you will be doing a marvellous job.”
Sowore also drew comparisons with global security developments, citing the use of advanced aerial weapons in the Israel-Iran conflict as evidence that traditional air power is becoming obsolete.
The former presidential candidate said, “It has shown to you that the Air Force is on its way to retirement.
“You can stay in your country, you can take over my airspace, and I don’t have to have a single jet. I can have your F-35, and if I have very capable drones, I’ll get to you.”
He criticised continued investment in fighter jets, pointing to long training periods and maintenance challenges.
“So if you’re still buying some fancy fighter jets that you have to train people for five years to use, you’re not likely to get replacement parts on time; you’re wasting your time,” he said.
Reiterating his position, Sowore said Nigeria’s defence architecture needs to be radically reimagined.
“That’s why I said somewhere, if I’m president of Nigeria, I won’t have a minister of defence. My minister of defence would be a drone,” he added.