Uko Okon
The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has announced plans to launch two new satellites into orbit, replacing the one launched in 2011
The Director General of the NASRDA, Dr Matthew Adepoju, stated this on Friday while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the 2025 National Space Research and Development Agency top management retreat in Uyo.
Adepoju said that the country had secured a seat in the blue region to ensure the launch became a reality. The process of selecting a Nigerian who would benefit from the initiative was ongoing.
He said the initiative would be in collaboration with the Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) in the USA.
“In the next six months to one year, definitely NASRDA will launch at least two out of the four satellites into the orbit.
“Then the programme of the first Nigeria, first African to be in space would have been a reality too, because we have already secured the seat in the blue origin.
“So, we are in the process of selection now of the Nigerian that will be the beneficiary of this initiative. It is a collaboration between NASRDA and SERA in USA,” Adepoju said.
Adepoju said that opportunities abound for wealth creation in the space sector, which could help Nigeria overcome its present economic hardship and youth unemployment.
He said the agency had concluded plans to train about 200,000 youth in skills acquisition to keep up with opportunities in the space sector and develop themselves into self-reliant individuals.
The DG said to achieve this, NASRDA would build skills acquisition centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country, where the youth could be trained in different skills.
“We are introducing some of the skills acquisition for youth employment because we have observed that they need skills, wherever you have problems, that is potential money, that is potential jobs, that is opportunities.
“But when you don’t have the skills to tackle the problems and turn the situation to wealth creation.
“That’s why we brought up skills acquisition hub which is taking off soon.
“The first one out of the six of the regional centres will be completed and be commissioned this year, where we can train up to 200, 000 youth every year in every region.
“So, we believe all these things are going to contribute to the economy of the country and solve the problems of youth unemployment,” he said.
The director general further said that President Bola Tinubu had approved the take off grant for the space regulations and spectrum management in Nigeria.
He said that lack of space regulations had been the reason many of the telecommunications companies operating in the country were rendering poor services to Nigerians.
“Many of the services rendered to us in Nigeria are substandard.
“Let’s look at direct to home television, even telephone, you are in the middle of telephone everything is dropping, is because of the transponder they are using.
“I was really disappointed in the room while I was listening to the President’s acceptance speech and because it was cloudy and about to rain and then everything went off the screen.
“It is because nobody is regulating the space sector which is the function of NASRDA both the upstream, midstream and downstream,” he said.
Adepoju noted the space sector was now the biggest economy in the whole world, calling on private sector to get involve to grow the economy, create jobs and tackle insecurity.
He added that when the country’s ecosystem is managed well, the space sector was capable of creating wealth and providing security for the citizens.
