 |
| A former Director General of the Defence Industries Corporation, Maj. Gen. Victor Ezugwu |
Firstsitenews-Retired Major General Victor Ezugwu, a former Director General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and the mastermind behind Nigeria’s first indigenously manufactured Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, shares insights into his groundbreaking invention, military career, and personal journey in a chat with Naomi Chima.
Could you share a brief overview of your background and how it shaped your path?
I hail from Ohebe, located in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State. I enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy as a cadet officer on September 27, 1985, and studied History. I was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1990 and joined the Infantry Corps, serving actively for 38 years until my retirement two years ago.
I’m the third child in a family of eight. My late parents, Patrick and Esther Ezugu, played key roles in shaping me. My father, a colonial-era mechanic, passed away in 1978 while I was in secondary school. He instilled in me a strong sense of discipline and technical curiosity — traits that later helped me in designing armoured vehicles. My mother, a devout Catholic, raised us after his passing and her spiritual discipline deeply influenced my faith. I’m still a practicing Catholic and was honored as a Papal Knight by Pope Benedict XVI.
How did the idea and development of the Ezugwu MRAP come about?
In 2016, I was appointed Commandant of the Depot Nigerian Army in Zaria by then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.). He asked me to revamp recruit training using my frontline experience in Borno and Adamawa. I oversaw the training of both tradesmen and non-tradesmen mechanics, drivers, etc.
As part of the program, I challenged the tradesmen to develop five patrol vehicles. Starting with a stripped-down Volkswagen Golf, we built a prototype. Within six months, five working patrol vehicles were completed and displayed during the passing-out parade. Gen. Buratai was so impressed that he tasked me with setting up a military vehicle production unit, making me the founding Group Managing Director.
That led to my work in Kaduna, where I partnered with Shedrack Agbo, a young Nigerian automobile engineer. Together with a team of skilled Nigerian engineers, we designed and developed the Ezugwu MRAP. President Buhari later approved its production and named the vehicle after me. But I don’t claim all the credit it was a team effort led by young, brilliant Nigerian minds.
Has the Ezugwu MRAP been deployed in real combat situations?
Absolutely. The MRAP has seen action in various operational zones, including Maiduguri, Adamawa, Sokoto, and even Enugu. Over 30 units have been produced and distributed for military use. One was even delivered to my hometown, where locals proudly celebrated it as “our vehicle.” Its performance in counterinsurgency operations has been remarkable.
What distinguishes the Ezugwu MRAP from other armoured vehicles?
It’s a milestone in Nigerian military engineering the first locally-produced armoured vehicle since 1964. It was officially approved by President Buhari and named in my honor.
The MRAP offers bulletproof protection against 7.62mm machine guns and AK-47 fire. It’s also mine-resistant and built to neutralize explosive threats. It can traverse water bodies up to 20–30 meters deep. Other features include armoured windshields, long-range communication systems (10–16 km), and surveillance cameras with a range of 2–5 km. Importantly, it's cost-effective: while similar foreign vehicles cost between N900 million to N1 billion, ours is priced at approximately N250 million per unit.
What challenges did you face during its development?
One major challenge was sourcing armoured-grade steel. Initially, we had to import it from China, though we later discovered limited local alternatives. Nigeria doesn’t currently produce armoured steel, and with the Ajaokuta Steel Plant non-functional, we had to find workarounds. The vehicle chassis also had to be imported, as local manufacturing plants like ANAMCO, Leyland, and Steyr were no longer operational.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional hurdles, particularly with logistics and foreign exchange. Still, all the engineering and assembly work was done by Nigerians no foreign personnel were involved. Remarkably, our oldest engineer was only 32 years old. This project proved beyond doubt that Nigeria has the technical manpower to innovate and execute at a high level.
Post a Comment