President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday hinted of his administration’s plan to develop satellite technology to enhance national security, communications, industrialisation, sustained socio-economic development and for various applications. BusinessDay Reported.
He also said the satellite technology will be used in operationalising indigenous space systems for providing space services and the launch of satellites.
The president stated these as he formally inaugurated a 13-member National Space Council (NSC), which is the nation’s highest policy making body on space development at the State House, Abuja.
In his inaugural speech to the body, Jonathan said, “Our administration has unwavering commitment to the actualisation of the definitive goal of our space programme. I will like to charge the members of the space council to evolve ways of enabling the country to maximally benefit from our huge investments in the development of space technology”.
He noted that “given the critical place of space technology in the areas of national security, communications, industrialisation and sustained socio-economic development, the critical need to properly structure and drive our national space programme cannot be over-emphasised”.
The high calibre space team which is headed by Jonathan, has Vice President Namadi Sambo as second-in-command.
Other members of the high calibre committee include: the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki; and three professors, including Vincent Olunloyo, 1998 Nigeria National Merit Award winner; Elijah Mshelia, a nuclear engineer, and member of Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission and Fransisca Okeke, the Nigerian female scientist who recently bagged the 2013 L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards in Physical Sciences. The first female head of department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka won the 2013 Laureate Award for her significant contributions “to the understanding of daily variations of the ion currents in the upper atmosphere which may further the understanding of climate change.”
Other members of the committee are the ministers of solid minerals development, Muhammad Sada; education, Ruqayyatu Rufa’I; science and technology, Ita Ewa; national planning, Shamsudeen Usman; interior, Abba Moro; communications technology, Omobola Johnson, and defence (state), Olusola Obada.
The committee went into a closed-door session immediately after it was inaugurated.
Jonathan disclosed that the National Space Council is the apex body charged with the responsibility of developing policy guidelines for activities in space, saying it also has the vital role of monitoring the implementation of the national space programme.
He charged the council, which has the responsibility of developing policy guidelines for activities in space and monitoring the implementation of the national space programme, to also come up with an action plan that will enable the country utilise space technology to accelerate industrial development quickly, so that Nigeria will not only venture into space but also manufacture boats, aircrafts and other things.
“We must evolve clear cut initiatives that will not only fast track our industrialisation process but one that will also see us within the shortest possible period to be able to build our own motor vehicles, our own boats and our own aircraft and of course launch our own satellite manufactured in Nigeria, from a launch site in Nigeria on a launch vehicle made in Nigeria,” the president said.
