President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday inaugurated a 13-member National Space Council, NSC, the nation’s highest policy making body on space development at the presidential villa, Abuja.
The council is headed by the president himself and is positioned to map out plans on how to take maximum advantage of space technology development in enhancing national security, communications, industrialisation and sustained socio-economic development.
Vice President,Muhammad Namadi Sambo is the second-in-command of the committee which has high calibre members to include the National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and three professors, Professors Vincent Olunloyo, Elijah Mshelia, and Fransisca Okeke.
Others are the ministers of Mines, Architect Muhammad Sada, Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Ewa, National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, Communications Technology, Ms Omobola Johnson and Defence (state), Erelu Olusola Obada.
The council went into a closed door session immediately after it was inaugurated.
President Jonathan at the event challenged the council to 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, etc.
It has the responsibility of developing policy guidelines for activities in space and monitoring the implementation of the national space programme,
“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 aircrafts 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.
He said “this is a challenge not only to the members of the council but to all Nigerians; we should dedicate ourselves to building a better technologically advanced stable and prosperous Nigeria for our children.”
The president also charged the council to be committed to the “actualisation of the definitive goal of our space programme,” and find ways to evolve ways that will enable “the country to maximally benefit from our huge investments in the development of space technology.
“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,” he noted.