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The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) says policy framework for the acquisition of the country’s satellite images by the public to build the economy should be put in place by government.
Dr Spencer Onuh, the Director, Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD), made the call today in Abuja.
According to Onuh, the existing framework requires improvement for the harnessing of space, satellite applications.
“We are not reaping the benefits of space applications yet.
“Why should a town planner, contractors into dam construction, road construction, city planning obtain images of Nigeria from another satellites when Nigeria satellites can provide resolution.
“If there is a space policy approved by the government that every satellite data for Nigeria must be obtained from Nigerian satellites, it will help the country a lot.
“There will be huge internally generated revenue both in soft, hard currency, which will be plunged back into space research and development.
“We need the government to come up with such content of policy that for any contract, any work that should be done in Nigeria, images from Nigeria satellites must be used.
“Even if the images are purchased from outside the country, but let it be from Nigerian satellites,” Onuh said.
He said that all images from the country had the agency’s signature which made for easy identification.
The director said that the agency had consistently put measures in place to ensure that acquisition of Nigeria’s satellite images were instigated by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government.
“The agency has trained staff of MDAs, paramilitary, military and organised space dialogue for assistance.
“We have also asked the government to intervene on the acquisition of Nigeria satellite images; we have given out data on credit to agencies in the country which runs into huge sum of sum.
“We cannot hold government organisations to ransom because they cannot pay, so stakeholders are aware of all these.
“It is unfortunate that there is no law compelling them to do it as NASRDA has recommended or have requested the government to approve,” the director said.
He, however, said that space products could be used as catalysts for science and technology development in the country, adding that it should begin in schools.
According to him, it will ensure that better graduates are turned out in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
TheNewsGuru reports that the existing space policy was approved in May 2001 to make Nigeria build indigenous competence in developing, designing, building hardware and software in space technology as a tool for socio-economic development.