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Newly appointed Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Halilu Shaba, has stressed the need for the development of satellite technology as a strategic tool to tame insecurity in the country which is currently causing havoc in the political, social and economic fabrics of the nation.
He made this call at an interactive session in Abuja during a special presentation in honor of his formal assumption of office as the substantive Director General of the space agency.
The NASRDA boss described the agency as a strategic partner as it possesses relevant capabilities and specialization in providing support towards combating the insecurity challenges.
According to him, the agency as a stakeholder has a lot to do by ensuring collaborative effort with relevant security organizations to combat the security situation which has portrayed Nigeria in a bad light to the rest of the world.
Dr Shaba reiterated the need for Nigeria through NASRDA to “take our place in space and also take our place on earth” by providing the necessary ingredients for the development of the Nigerian society through the instrumentality of Space Science and technology.
GEOSON applauds Buhari for appointing Shaba to lead NASRDA
Meanwhile, the Geoinformation Society of Nigeria (GEOSON) has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari on the appointment of Dr. Shaba as the substantive Director General of NASRDA describing it as a round peg in a round hole in the developmental history of space science and technology.
The President of GEOSON, Dr Mathew Adepoju made the statement in his goodwill message at a ceremony on the review of the national security challenges and the need for strategic space applications organized to mark the formal assumption of office of the NASRDA Director-General.
Adepoju described Shaba as a distinguished scientist and man of integrity who believes in equity, justice and fair play.
The NASRDA DG advocated the need for inclusiveness, collectivism and capacity building as an essential tool for policy formulation and implementation of the National Space Programme.
Shaba further said that with the medium and high-resolution satellites which have been used in time past to provide relevant imageries to security agencies, NASRDA is ready to deploy the capabilities of these satellites in providing data of flash point areas which will be highly beneficial in the fight against insecurity.
He then advocated for the creation of the National Reconnaissance Center in collaboration with security agencies under the control of the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), where relevant security information will be domiciled.
Commitment to NASRDA’s mandate
He expressed his commitment towards pursuing the realization of NASRDA’s mandate which among other things include the deployment of space technology in providing solutions to the problem of mankind. He called for collaboration between stakeholders especially the Defence Space Administration (DSA) who are in the forefront of providing solutions to insecurity in the country using space technology.
Immediate past acting Director General of NASRDA, Dr. Francis Chizea, canvassed for maximum cooperation especially amongst relevant stakeholders with the aim of achieving the objectives of the national space programme of which the space agency plays a leading role.
Dr Chizea stressed the need for management and staff of the agency to be passionate and ensure team work as this will serve as a springboard for taking the agency and Nigeria as a country to higher heights.
The event was capped by goodwill messages from directors of the national space agency and its activity centres as well as laboratories across the country.
