Why Nigeria Is Yet to Manufacture Its Own Helicopter — AI Hub CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of AI Hub Limited, Abubakar Bala Usman, has attributed Nigeria’s inability to manufacture its own helicopter to foreign interests seeking to maintain the country’s dependence on imported aircraft.

Bala stated this while speaking with National Focus Newspaper in a telephone interview, where he discussed the challenges facing indigenous technology and innovation in Nigeria.

According to him, countries from which Nigeria currently purchases helicopters could frustrate efforts to establish local manufacturing if they discovered that the country was developing the capacity to produce its own aircraft.

He explained that such countries would go to great lengths to prevent the success of Nigeria’s helicopter manufacturing efforts because they want the country to continue purchasing helicopters from them.

“If the country where we buy helicopters from discovered that we want to start manufacturing our own, they will go length and breadth to make sure they frustrate the process and to make sure that those things are not successful,” he said.

Bala alleged that foreign manufacturers may also withhold critical information and components needed for Nigeria to develop its own helicopter manufacturing capacity.

He said the countries supplying helicopters to Nigeria would not provide all the necessary parts and technical knowledge required for local production because they want to retain the economic opportunities associated with selling the aircraft.

The AI Hub CEO said continued dependence on imported technology means that the economic benefits associated with manufacturing remain largely outside Nigeria.