Sowore: If I were President, drones will be my defence minister

A former Nigerian presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has proposed a radical change to the country’s defence strategy, saying that if he were president, he would prioritise drones over conventional military structures — even to the point of doing away with the office of the Minister of Defence.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme on Monday, Sowore criticised the traditional approach to military procurement and management, arguing that unmanned aerial vehicles offer a more effective and cost-efficient way to tackle Nigeria’s longstanding security challenges.

Sowore said he would stop procurement of fighter jets and instead invest in drones, which he described as capable of covering large areas to monitor and respond to threats.

He noted that drones can be operated by a small number of personnel and used to track kidnappers and other criminal elements until ground forces can respond.

“You can just have five persons operate ten drones… if I have ten unmanned [drones] 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 said.

He argued that traditional military assets like fighter jets are costly, require lengthy training, and often lack timely access to replacement parts.

Citing global examples, he suggested that advanced aerial technology, including drones, is shaping modern warfare and could make conventional Air Force assets less relevant.

Sowore’s comments come amid ongoing debates about Nigeria’s security apparatus as the country continues to confront insurgency in the North-East, widespread banditry in the North-West and frequent kidnappings across multiple regions.