Nation
Centre Tasks FG On Dual Purpose Satellite
The Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD) yesterday urged the Federal Government to consider investing into a dual purpose satellite that could concurrently address developmental challenges.
Director of CSTD, Prof. Spencer Onuh, made the recommendation in an interview with The Tide source in Abuja, while suggesting possible means of addressing insecurity.
CSTD, an activity centre of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), has the mandate to design, manufacture indigenous satellites for the country for socio-economic development of the nation.
According to Onuh, the dual purpose satellite will collect data both as Earth Observation and Communication satellites on real time happenings.
An Earth Observation Satellite is a satellite designed for earth observation from orbit, while a Communication satellite is an artificial satellite that creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth.
Onuh explained that issues of insecurity were every sectors’ problem and NASRDA in the past had provided valuable data and trained security agencies on using the data to enhance their operations.
He said although discussions on the dual purpose satellite were already on but the government needed to seriously put it into consideration.
“We can use our satellites to monitor issues of insecurity, observe location where something is happening.
“For this to be easily done there needs to be a link between your earth observation satellite with communication satellite to be able to get real life situation data from the satellites.
“Most advanced countries’ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles used in monitoring environment are all armed with real life situations to disclose what is happening at a location in real time and it helps to rescue people or attack enemies.
“In having a real time situation data on our satellites, there has to be a link or we need a dual purpose satellite.
“We have actually proposed a dual stage satellite which has the civilian and military aspect while the control is different,’’ he said.
According to the director, the military will control their own while the civilians do same and get their data for different purposes, while both can be linked.
“We hope this will appeal to the government,’’ he said.
He said that there were discussions around the dual purpose satellite toward the end of 2020 but the resolutions of the meeting had yet to be passed to the various ministries involved.
The director mentioned that the negotiation laid in Ministries of Science and Technology, Defense, Commerce and Industry, and Environment before presentation to the Federal Executive Council.
Onuh said, “ once approval is given, we are ready for a dual stage satellite.’’
The director, however, decried that the present satellites the country owned could not perform such dual purposes because that functionality was not factored in from the design stage of the satellite.
“The linkage has to be from the design stage which we never did, we are growing and we are learning more,’’ he said.
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.
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