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CEO Wants More Of Nigeria’s Orbit Satellites

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11 years ago

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The Chief Executive Of
    ficer, Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD),  Dr Spencer Onuh, has called on the Federal Government to increase the number of Nigeria’s satellites in orbit.
Onuh made the call on Wednesday in a paper entitled, “Satellite Technology in Nigeria: The Roadmap for Peace,’’ he delivered at the 2nd University Lecture of Salem University, Lokoja.
 CSTD is an arm of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASDA).
The centre was established to develop space technologies relevant for national development among other things.
Onuh stressed the need for the government to increase the number of its satellites in orbit to fasttrack the country’s development.
He said: “currently, the number of satellites in orbit worldwide is about 7,600.
“Of this number, Russia has 4,017 satellites followed by the USA with 2,098 satellites.
“A comparative study of the number of satellites owned by Nigeria with its high population shows that the country is lagging behind.
“Hence, there is need for the government to strategically decide to increase the number of Nigeria’s satellite in space.
“Government should, as a matter of urgency and national importance, embark on acquisition of next generation satellites.
“These include Synthetic Aperture Radar and appropriate communication satellites both for civil and military uses.
“We need to recognise that space technology plays a significant role in national, economic and social development.’’
The CEO listed the benefits of space technology to include environmental assessment and monitoring, disaster prediction and monitoring, health monitoring, industrial development and security.
He said that studies had shown that there is a significant relationship between the rate of a nation’s development and space activities.
“The Nigerian space programme was set up to achieve sustainable national development with peaceful uses as its focus.
“It is a general knowledge that peace is not achieved by just wishful thinking but by the application of knowledge.
“We have already started applying our existing satellite technology in the field of agriculture where you have precision agriculture which has to do with crop yield prediction, e-agriculture’’ he said.
Onuh said that data from real-time farming collated from farmers in different information centres across the country and development  of agriculture was simplified with the help of satellite
“This makes peaceful co-existence possible because farmers can farm with precision thereby providing more food for the populace and eradicating poverty.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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