|
|
Discussions
(Discuss various Ghanaian subject areas)
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
ohene
JSS
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 88
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:36 pm Post subject: WHAT IS NIGERIA DOING IN SPACE? |
 |
|
  
Your priorities are misplaced, i am sure the satelite is lost in space. You might be the first in space, but we will always be the greatest. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Guest
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 6:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hahaha stupid nigerians they probably do not know what to do with the information.
www.nasrda.gov.ng |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ohene
JSS
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 88
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nemesis
Green Eagle
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 476
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Ohene, you are sure a funny dude. what you are doing unknowingly is to promote Nigeria. Keep it up!
From the outside, there is nothing significant about the house sitting on Plot 1502 Mamman Nasir Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja. Two-storey high and cream-coloured with black railings, the house is easily dwarfed in looks by the architectural masterpieces that dot this highbrow area of the Nigerian capital which serves as home or office to some of the most powerful men and women in Africa’s most populous country of about 130 million people. Yet inside this simple-looking building lies the evidence of Nigeria’s new status as an emergent space power – a status which the country has enjoyed for the past 14 months.
Welcome to Nigeria’s Centre for Satellite Technology Development, which houses NigeriaSat-1 Mission Control Station. Here, in an expansive white-painted room on the last floor, a team of young Nigerian computer and satellite engineers and scientists using sophisticated computers track and control NigeriaSat-1, that is, the first Nigerian satellite.
An earth observation satellite, NigeriaSat-1 was launched into space at 7.07 GMT on Saturday, September 27, 2004, in Plesetsk, Russia. It is the first satellite ever built and operated by a Black sub-Saharan nation and belongs to a consortium of micro satellites known as the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). The DMC comprises seven members, the other partners being the United Kingdom, China, Algeria, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam. However, of the seven partners, only NigeriaSat-1, AlSat-1 (Algeria), BaliSat-1 (Turkey) and UK-DMC (United Kingdom) were able to make the launch. The three other partners are expected to join the constellation in orbit soon. The satellites in the constellation are linked through internet facility to facilitate the sharing of data and pictures. Since it was launched into orbit, NigeriaSat-1 has been beaming sharp images of the global environment to the control station also known as the ground station.
“So far things are going successfully,” Ikpaya Ikpaya, the operations and systems engineer on duty at the control station that Wednesday evening told Africa Today. “This is a laudable development for Nigeria.”
NigeriaSat-1 passes through Nigeria four times each day. The first dual passage occurs around 7.00-9.00 GMT and the second much later, around 21.00-24.00 GMT. However, the satellite does not transmit images (photos and data) during every pass. “In a day, one of the passes can be imaging, while the rest can be communication passes,” explained Ikpaya. “During the communication passes, we check the health of the satellite, send command or download images.”
To date, all the subsystems on board the satellite have been checked and are reported to be performing excellently. Communication with the satellite is made possible by a 3.7m diameter S-band antennae mounted outside the building. The satellite transmits images to the control station through an on-board computer storage system with 1.0 gigabyte capacity.
Ikpaya is a member of the elite group of youthful engineers assembled through a very competitive process to kick-start Nigeria’s satellite programme. Over 5,000 applicants responded to the advertisement for the programme, but the number was progressively whittled down to 15 by a committee of local and international experts assembled by Nigeria’s federal ministry of Science and Technology (FMST).
From the outset, the Nigerian government had its mind firmly set on capacity building in space science and technology. To achieve this, the contract for the building of NigeriaSat-1 brought about the training of the selected 15 Nigerian scientists and engineers in a Know How Technology Training (KHTT). The KHTT involved 15 months of intensive training in the design and building of all subsystems of the NigeriaSat-1 spacecraft. Thanks to the comprehensive training they received, the scientists and engineers can design and build subsequent generations of satellites with very minimal supervision.
The training was completed in April last year and all the 15 trainees have since returned to Nigeria, where they have been deployed to the Centre for Satellite Technology Development and are successfully managing NigeriaSat-1 by themselves from the Mission Control Centre.
Nigerian Ground station
Nigeria’s desire to venture into space technology dates back almost three decades. Incidentally, the programme was kick-started by the incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo during his days as military head of state in from 1976 to 1979. The idea first became public knowledge when the government divulged it to member countries of the Economic Commission for Africa and Organisation for African Unity (now African Union) at an inter-governmental meeting in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia in 1976. The foundation for the space programme was laid when the government set aside N10 million within the 1975-1980 development plan to establish a National Centre for Remote Sensing (NCRS) [The money was worth more than $10 million at the time, as the Nigerian currency was stronger than the dollar then, although the amount is worth a mere $75,000 at the current exchange rate.]
In April 1987, a two-man committee was set up by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) at the request of the Nigerian government to advice on the uses and relevance of space technology. The FAO report strongly advised Nigeria to set up the machinery for the development of space science and technology.
The military government of General Ibrahim Babangida accepted and swiftly moved to implement the recommendation. The implementation was done through the FMST, which constituted a National Committee on Space Applications with membership drawn from universities, research institutions, the Armed Forces and relevant ministries. The committee was to advise the government on modalities for the implementation and harmonisation of the space science and technology programme in the country.
In 1993, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) which took over the project from the ministry constituted a nine-man committee of experts to produce a draft National Space Science and Space Policy Document. Three years later, the NCRS, located in the north central town of Jos started operations as the first of several space science-related centres proposed under the policy document.
Months ahead of the restoration of democratic rule in Nigeria on May 29, 1999, the regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar inaugurated a committee of experts charged with reviewing the country’s space policy. The committee in its report emphasised the need for government to fast-track the space programme. This was done on May 5, 1999, with the establishment of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), which was handed the mandate to consolidate all space science and technology-related activities in the country.
However, it was not until October 13, 1999 that the NigeriaSat-1 project really came alive. That day the Federal Executive Council approved the design, building and launching of the spacecraft. The contract was eventually signed with the Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), UK, on November 7, 2000. The next May, the council approved the national space policy and programme in a bid to give the project focus and enhance coordination. The policy aims to make Nigeria build indigenous competence in developing, designing and building appropriate hardware and software in space technology as an essential tool for socio-economic development and enhancement of the quality of life of Nigerians.
“With Nigeriasat-1, Nigeria has become an active participant in the global space industry and Black Africa now has a signature in space,” says Science and Technology minister Professor Turner Isoun.
For President Obasanjo, the actualisation of the project is a personal dream fulfilled and he is not masking his excitement. In addition to showering encomiums on the 15 indigenous space engineers and scientists manning the NigeriaSat-1 ground station, Obasanjo, a retired army engineer and a general, has visited the station to see things for himself. Accompanied by his principal officers, the Nigerian strongman arrived the station quite early, by 8.35 a.m., on Tuesday, April 13 to witness the 795th passage of NigeriaSat-1, which as at that day had generated 67 images of 600 x 300 km size from different parts of the world.
Vice President Atiku Abubakar shares the president’s enthusiasm for the project; he visited the ground control station as part of activities marking the first anniversary of the satellite in orbit. Like Obasanjo, the vice president expressed satisfaction with what he saw and commended the engineers working at the station.
“I am particularly pleased with my visit this morning to the station of the Nigeriasat-1 to witness the 1,461st passage of the satellite over the station,” Abubakar said.
The successful launch and management of the spacecraft has earned Nigeria praise internationally. Five months after the launch of the satellite, TIME, the international newsmagazine, in February analysed the current global effort in the race for space among eight countries. Nigeria received honourable mention in the report and was even praised for successfully executing the project with the lowest budget among the countries covered by the analysis. The report saw as a positive signal the fact that NigeriaSat-1 is controlled by Nigerian scientists and invited its readers to “look out for Nigeria” in the new race for space.
Among ordinary Nigerians, however, the space programme is viewed as a waste of scarce resources. The feeling is that the money being spent on the programme could have been better applied to reduce poverty in a country consistently rated as one of the poorest in the world despite its enormous oil resources which, sadly, end up in private pockets.
“To me it is a misplacement of priority and a waste of resources for now,” Bartholomew Nwokocha, a fashion designer in Lagos, told Africa Today. He admitted having heard of the possible benefits of the project but insisted that they did not make much sense to him. “It is like buying a car for a baby who has not yet learnt to sit down,” Nwokocha said. There is also widespread misunderstanding of the project and it is viewed with deep suspicion by many. When the weather went yoyo four months ago, with biting cold accompanied by lack of rain in some parts of the country but persistent downpour, rainstorm and flooding in others, many Nigerians promptly blamed it on NigeriaSat-1. The common belief was that the operations of the spacecraft had somehow disrupted the weather pattern. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had to issue a statement, exonerating the satellite from the development, and explaining that the strange weather was caused by “permanent changes in atmospheric systems.”
Isoun, the science and technology minister burst into prolonged laughter when he was asked to comment on the issue. “It is just not possible,” he told Africa Today. “NigeriaSat-1 does not have such powers to cause changes in the weather; it is a very small satellite. It’s part of the global change in weather, of global warming.”
The minister deflected criticisms of the country’s space programme, insisting that it is both justified and timely. “Our mission,” he said of his ministry, “is to chart the course of scientific and technological development of the nation. Our vision is to make Nigeria, in the nearest future, an acknowledged member of the fast developing scientific and technologically progressive nations of the world and to be Africa’s leader in scientific and technological development. The launching of NigeriaSat-1 represents the humble beginning of our goal.”
Isoun corrected the impression that the country’s space programme is a money guzzler. He described it as the cheapest in the world, explaining that the FMST is poorly funded and was allocated just one percent of the total national recurrent and capital expenses for 2004.
On the relevance of the programme he said: “The fact that our land is known for its wealth of natural resources can never be over-emphasised. Our citizens are also known for their resourcefulness, enterprise and tenacity. However, more than ever before, knowledge, skills and intellectual property rather than resource potentials are now the major driving force of global wealth creation. The best demonstration of this fact can be found among the Asian countries. The longer we relegate science and technology to the background of our development process the wider the gap will grow between us and the rapidly developing countries of the world.”
Nigeria, which occupies a landmass of about 924,000 square kilometres, is plagued by a plethora of environmental and economic problems which Isoun and other stakeholders in the country’s space programme believe space technology could help solve. Located between latitudes 4o N and 14o N and longitudes 3o E and 15o E, Nigeria has a vast geographical area of contrasting land forms, climatic conditions and vegetation belts or ecological zones. It is bordered in the south by the Atlantic coastline which includes the eastern sector of the Gulf of Guinea. According to a brochure published by NARSDA, Abuja: “The aggressive costal erosion and flooding of the villages and towns, including Lagos, along the extensive shoreline, the ravaging gully and badlands erosion of the eastern region, aggressive desert encroachment from the north due to climatic changes and human activities such as deforestation from fuel wood and overgrazing, the frequent/annually occurring river and reservoir flooding with associated devastation, the largely untapped natural resources and the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta area due to oil pollution, the mine devastated areas of Jos Plateau and the rich tourist potentials of the Jos and Mambila Plateau all provide opportunities for the use of images from NigeriaSat-1 for thematic mapping, environmental monitoring, and sustainable economic development.”
Images from the NigeriaSat-1 are currently being used to map, monitor Nigeria’s environmental problems and for other socio-economic activities. Indications are that the project may also rake in money. Africa Today learnt that images from the satellite have been generating great interest from potential buyers from various parts of the world. Within seven months of the launch of the satellite, NASRDA received over 50 requests from both local and international users, including some United Nations agencies. This has raised hopes that NigeriaSat-1 may turn out to be a foreign exchange goldmine for Nigeria.
As the country awaits the expected dollar rain, President Obasanjo has approved the application of the satellite data for a number of relevant national projects. These include agricultural and environmental studies; support for the national Geographic Information System (GIS) through corridor mapping and monitoring of oil and gas pipelines as well as Nigeria’s internalisation projects; support for the remote sensing information through images and settlements mapping for the 2005 National Census, and military applications.
On its part, NASRDA has initiated a programme to optimise the potentials of the satellite. Early in the year the agency selected experts, whom it provided with data from the spacecraft and financially mobilised to carry out studies on subjects that are strategic to national development.
Among the areas covered by the studies are: mapping hydrocarbon and other mineral deposits in the Benue Trough; agricultural land use planning and management in irrigation schemes in Kaduna and Kano states; gully erosion mapping and monitoring in parts of south eastern Nigeria; coastal/beach erosion studies along Lagos coastline; as well as mapping of flood hazards/risk along Kaduna River and Shiroro Dam in Niger State. Other areas touched by the studies include: terrain trafficability and planning of logistics for security and defence, and route location studies in parts of south western Nigeria.
NARSDA followed this up with a national workshop it organised in collaboration with the Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Association of Nigeria (RESGAN) and Geoinformation Society of Nigeria (GEOSON), from June 15 to 17, 2004, in Abuja. The workshop was used to further sensitise stakeholders and users of satellite images on the utilisation of NigeriaSat-1 data in various areas of socio-economic activities. A number of selected resource persons and institutions across the country commissioned to carryout pilot studies on selected areas of research using NigeriaSat-1 imagery made presentations on the outcome of their research during the workshop.
Undeterred by the criticisms that have trailed the programme, the Nigerian government is putting things in place to replace NigeriaSat-1 when it attains its minimum lifespan of five years. NigeriaSat-2, scheduled to be launched into orbit in 2008, would be a superior earth observation satellite to be wholly designed by Nigerians, with most of the major and sensitive components produced locally.
Two years ahead of that, the country would launch its communication satellite, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council on November 12, 2003. A presidential committee has since been constituted to advise on implementation modalities. The Obasanjo administration considers the communication satellite to be imperative “in view of the fact that 90 percent of all international telephone calls within and outside Africa are routed via satellites owned by foreign operators. This translates to very high cost of bandwidth in Africa and a colossal sum of $600 million is paid annually by African nations for satellite bandwidth.”
Government’s interest however goes beyond satellites. Just last month it launched the first Nigerian Nuclear Research Reactor (NIRR-1) at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, north central Nigeria. Apart from electricity generation, the nuclear reactor is expected to have applications in agriculture, medicine, industry and some other science-related fields. It is also capable of producing Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) which is applicable to soil fertility and geo-chemical mapping, mineral analysis, environmental studies, forensic and crime investigation, industrial and quality control, pharmacology and medicine.
The launch, one of the highlights of Nigeria’s 44 years independence anniversary celebration, came 44 months after the establishment of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) in February 2001, in accordance with the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act 19 of 1995. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, is said to have played a pivotal role in ensuring the completion of the project and probably compliance with international protocols on the development of nuclear technology.
In a message he sent to the launch, President Obasanjo said that “the 30kw Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) though basically a small neutron, will serve as a practical tool for training of nuclear scientists and engineers. It will also be quite useful in the training of research applications, though limited in scope.” He described the event as a manifestation of the country's desire to pursue development in science and technology at the highest level. "This,” said the president, “will be with the ultimate objective of uplifting the well-being of our people.”
With such strong support from the administration and, hopefully, its successors, the eagle (the national symbol of Nigeria) which is now flapping its wings in space and on the nuclear scene may be set to soar to the highest peak in science and tech development. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nemesis
Green Eagle
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 476
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Like the Minister of Sci. and Tech said (excerpt below) I believe there's need for this project
| Quote: |
Isoun: It is definitely not a misplaced priority. I want to tell my countrymen that there is nowhere in the world where you sit down, wait until everybody is over fed, everybody is rich, before you start science and technology. It doesn’t happen that way. As a matter of fact, it works the other way: you embark on science and technology to enable you solve your problems. I think it is the right strategy. We need to build capacity, and it is human beings that this thing is all about. I think that we are victims of our colonial heritage; we are victims of colonial mentality, of slave mentality, believing that others should do it first. We are victims of a culture that is not science oriented because if we have a scientific culture, then the question would be turned upside-down. The right question to ask is: We are poor, how can we use science and technology to fight poverty? When you turn the question round, like how do we create wealth? How do we create jobs? Then you know that science and technology is very important. The satellite has helped us to create capacity; it has helped us to solve problems, like in agriculture, as I have already told you. It’s going to help to create jobs so that those so employed will be able to create more wealth and take care of their needs. It’s all part and parcel of the well being of the people. Clearly, it is not a misplaced priority. Positively, it is the right thing to do. You need to look at poverty in another way. If you use all the money for feeding the poor and for housing, where do you get the money to invest? Nigeria has spent in the past 44 years over $400 billion. Suppose you are spending this money on investment, human capacity investment, in satellite capacity, in agricultural capacity, I think the story would be different. I will vote that if there is any excess crude oil revenue today, invest it in science and technology. I invite rich Nigerians to invest in the Nigerian communication satellite. The return on investment is 30 percent.
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ohene
JSS
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 88
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| At least ghana knows what to do with its money. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Ohene is a Nigerian! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ameys
BSc
Joined: 23 Jun 2004
Posts: 3455
Location: http://theghanaian.blogspot.com/
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 11:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Oba wrote: |
| Ohene is a Nigerian! |
So what are you guys doing in space , and what is its economic impact in reducing abject poverty in our naija folks?
I will be glad for some naija man to tell me its practical impact, not any book theory.
Last edited by Ameys on Mon Jan 17, 2005 11:10 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nemesis
Green Eagle
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 476
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 11:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
Is Ghana Leadership Union necessary for Ghana Empowerment?
|
Ohene your views are needed in the above post |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:26 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Ameys wrote: |
| Oba wrote: |
| Ohene is a Nigerian! |
So what are you guys doing in space , and what is its economic impact in reducing abject poverty in our naija folks?
I will be glad for some naija man to tell me its practical impact, not any book theory. |
Space Satellite construction is an industry. A high-tech industry with large profit margins. Nigeria is currently designing Nigeriacomm-1, a communications satellite. Currently, a lot of Africa's International communications traffic is routed through foreign satellites and we (as a continent) pay a whooping $600 million annually to these foreigners. For less than 1/10th that cost, we can actually build a new satellite that would last 5 years and offer the same services to Africans at a cheaper price of less than $300 million annually and make billions in the lifetime of the satellite. The satellite more than pays for itself.
About Nigeriasat-1, it is a remote sensing satellite, and from it's name, you can determine that it "senses" things from afar. It derives a lot of useful information regarding geospatial features, monitoring everything from crop propagation, desertification, population density, ocean currents. Even things like the Tsunami would easily be picked up by the satellite. This information is useful and is being put to use, providing information to local farmers about their soil state and how to boost their production. Information derived by this satellite has also been sold to interested parties all over the world, including France and the United States. I think it is commendable. Development can only be achieved through technological know-how. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
miky
Super Eagle
Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 1021
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 3:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
| i knew since he is nigerian.hey ohene we dont need to fleck our muscles to the backward set of people this is already old news.we are ready to launch another one this year or so.but keep up the good job.ghana can't afford such thats why they can't understand its importance for fact only nigeria southa africa and egypt have the best and accurate tracking device for climate change(tsunami earth quake) best weather forecast. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
truemamamia
Phd
Joined: 14 Jul 2004
Posts: 21693
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 4:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Nigeria's Minister of Science and Tech said
| Quote: |
| Isoun: It is definitely not a misplaced priority. I want to tell my countrymen that there is nowhere in the world where you sit down, wait until everybody is over fed, everybody is rich, before you start science and technology. It doesn’t happen that way. As a matter of fact, it works the other way: you embark on science and technology to enable you solve your problems. I think it is the right strategy. We need to build capacity, and it is human beings that this thing is all about. I think that we are victims of our colonial heritage; we are victims of colonial mentality, of slave mentality, believing that others should do it first. We are victims of a culture that is not science oriented because if we have a scientific culture, then the question would be turned upside-down. The right question to ask is: We are poor, how can we use science and technology to fight poverty? When you turn the question round, like how do we create wealth? How do we create jobs? Then you know that science and technology is very important. The satellite has helped us to create capacity; it has helped us to solve problems, like in agriculture, as I have already told you. It’s going to help to create jobs so that those so employed will be able to create more wealth and take care of their needs. It’s all part and parcel of the well being of the people. Clearly, it is not a misplaced priority. Positively, it is the right thing to do. You need to look at poverty in another way. If you use all the money for feeding the poor and for housing, where do you get the money to invest? Nigeria has spent in the past 44 years over $400 billion. Suppose you are spending this money on investment, human capacity investment, in satellite capacity, in agricultural capacity, I think the story would be different. I will vote that if there is any excess crude oil revenue today, invest it in science and technology. I invite rich Nigerians to invest in the Nigerian communication satellite. The return on investment is 30 percent. |
This is the most intelligent African Minister for Science and Technology i have come across. It would be easy for anybody in the non-science and technology field to conclude that the project is a misplaced priority but i think Nigeria is moving in the right direction. Unlike Ghana and most african xtries who possess a dormant Science and Tech. Ministry looks like it knows what it is about. I won't like to restate the arguements by the Minister cos i think i reason on the same wavelength with him.
The Ghanaweb website sums up the usual african mentality. Instead of creating a Science and Tech Forum for us to discuss important issues, an african would give preference to Religion the catalyst of confusions on our dear continent.
Ohene, i always suspécted that u were Nigeria but what doesn't make sense is that why not assume it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nemesis
Green Eagle
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 476
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 5:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| truemamamia wrote: |
Nigeria's Minister of Science and Tech said
| Quote: |
| Isoun: It is definitely not a misplaced priority. I want to tell my countrymen that there is nowhere in the world where you sit down, wait until everybody is over fed, everybody is rich, before you start science and technology. It doesn’t happen that way. As a matter of fact, it works the other way: you embark on science and technology to enable you solve your problems. I think it is the right strategy. We need to build capacity, and it is human beings that this thing is all about. I think that we are victims of our colonial heritage; we are victims of colonial mentality, of slave mentality, believing that others should do it first. We are victims of a culture that is not science oriented because if we have a scientific culture, then the question would be turned upside-down. The right question to ask is: We are poor, how can we use science and technology to fight poverty? When you turn the question round, like how do we create wealth? How do we create jobs? Then you know that science and technology is very important. The satellite has helped us to create capacity; it has helped us to solve problems, like in agriculture, as I have already told you. It’s going to help to create jobs so that those so employed will be able to create more wealth and take care of their needs. It’s all part and parcel of the well being of the people. Clearly, it is not a misplaced priority. Positively, it is the right thing to do. You need to look at poverty in another way. If you use all the money for feeding the poor and for housing, where do you get the money to invest? Nigeria has spent in the past 44 years over $400 billion. Suppose you are spending this money on investment, human capacity investment, in satellite capacity, in agricultural capacity, I think the story would be different. I will vote that if there is any excess crude oil revenue today, invest it in science and technology. I invite rich Nigerians to invest in the Nigerian communication satellite. The return on investment is 30 percent. |
This is the most intelligent African Minister for Science and Technology i have come across. It would be easy for anybody in the non-science and technology field to conclude that the project is a misplaced priority but i think Nigeria is moving in the right direction. Unlike Ghana and most african xtries who possess a dormant Science and Tech. Ministry looks like it knows what it is about. I won't like to restate the arguements by the Minister cos i think i reason on the same wavelength with him.
The Ghanaweb website sums up the usual african mentality. Instead of creating a Science and Tech Forum for us to discuss important issues, an african would give preference to Religion the catalyst of confusions on our dear continent.
Ohene, i always suspécted that u were Nigeria but what doesn't make sense is that why not assume it. |
truemamamia What you said are true and exudes wisdom. Keep it up. I agree with you 100%. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nemesis
Green Eagle
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 476
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 6:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
THE country's first nuclear reactor is to be inspected tomorrow by the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammed El-Baradei. The inspection is to ascertain the level of compliance with international standards.
The reactor, code-named NIRR-1, is located at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
El-Baradei was expected to arrive in the country yesterday on a two-day working visit.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Prof. Shamsudeen Elegba, said in Abuja yesterday that the IAEA chief would inspect the nuclear research reactor which was donated to Nigeria by the agency. Elegba said that the reactor was acquired, installed and inaugurated through a technical co-operation between Nigeria and IAEA.
The reactor was acquired to serve as a research facility for students, nuclear scientists and engineers and for peaceful applications in different fields of human endeavour," he noted.
He also allayed fears that it could be used to produce nuclear power for military capabilities.
"The status of our reactor is for research and training as well as to boost knowledge in the field of nuclear science and technology and its uses," he added.
"The safe operation and utilisation of NIRR-1 will contribute to the socio-economic development of Nigeria and various areas of human development," he noted.
It was learnt that the nuclear research reactor would also benefit Nigeria in the area of improved agricultural production through soil fertility studies and solid minerals development through National Geochemical mapping.
Others are industrial production through quality control processes and analysis as well as improved human health care, water resources management and environmental protection, among others.
The reactor was inaugurated on September 30 by the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun. Isoun described the occasion as epochal as it had consolidated Nigeria's incursion into space and nuclear technology for the advancement of its people.
He, however, said that a much bigger capacity reactor would be required to fully grasp the fundamentals of the technology needed to run a nuclear power plant in the country.
Nigeria has recently delved into space technology, biotechnology and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance sustainable development of the country.
Meanwhile, the UN nuclear chief would tomorrow hold talks with President Olusegun Obasanjo on areas of bilateral co-operation and assistance between Nigeria and the IAEA.
An itinerary of the visit made available to journalists indicated that El-Baradei will visit Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), Abuja and the National Hospital also in Abuja.
He will also hold discussions with the Ministers of Health, Science and Technology, Justice, Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Adviser on Petroleum and Energy.
He would also pay a courtesy visit to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Ufot Ekaette.
The IAEA boss is billed to depart Nigeria for Ghana on Thursday.Three African countries, including Nigeria, are among 172 countries that reaffirmed support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT).
The other African countries that joined Nigeria to sign the CTBT were Algeria and South Africa. The agreement was aimed at ridding the world of nuclear weapons, stop further nuclear tests and prevent nuclear proliferation in the world.
Nigeria was, last September, admitted as a new member of the agency's Board of Governors. The Board of Governors of the IAEA, the nuclear watchdog of the UN, is the policy-making body of the agency. It is appointed by the IAEA's General Conference and is made up of representatives of all the agency's member-states.` |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001 phpBB Group
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
