"Nigeria In Space By 2015"

Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon Ewa, has said that
plans have been perfected to send the first Nigerian into space by
2015.
This he said was part of a 25-year plan to establish Nigeria on the
global map of space technology.
The minister who stated this at the 2013 Ministerial Platform on
Monday, also said that Nigerian universities mustcollaborate with
research institutions in the country in order to add value and boost
the impetus of the local capacity.
He noted that in an effort to ensure that Nigerians achieve the vision
20 2020 agenda, the ministry had in the recent past replaced the lost
NigeriaSate2 and also launched NigeriaSate X, which, was build by
Nigerian engineers.
And in trying to train local technologists, he said that adequate
consideration will be given to women tobe part of the ongoing capacity
building for Nigerian technologists.
His words: ''We have a 25-year road map target to be in space by year
2015 since 2011. We do not just want space technology, we also want
solar panel technology, which are components of the satellite. In
trying to train our technologists, we had to consider women. We are
trying to partner with China and USA on rocket technology.''
On the benefits of the satellite, the minister explained that the
technology had since inception enhanced security surveillance, urban
and regional planning, land use mapping, agriculturalland use studies
and environmental surveillance, as well as surveillance of
desertification and disease infested areas.
For Nigeria to tap from the benefits of the emerging knowledge-based
economy and achieve sustainable growth, he said that research results
by local scientists must be commercialized for increased productivity.
"There is a problem. Some of the research works have not been
commercialized. Priority attention must be given to them if Nigeria
must leverage on them for growth into a knowledge economy. This is
part of the reason the new science, technology and innovation policy
was approved in 2012and redesigned in 2013.
The policy has all it takes to drive the economy, if it is well implemented.''