President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate release of approved funds for the maintenance of the country’s space assets in line with the National Space Policy and Programme.

Mr Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, gave the directive on Tuesday during the first meeting of the National Space Council held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“I hereby direct that the cost of the implementation of the revised 25-year roadmap for the implementation of the national space policy be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval. Nigeria will not watch the new frontier unfold from the sidelines.

“We will participate, we will compete, we will contribute. Our space ambitions must be anchored in outcomes, accountability and national value. We must build a programme that serves the farmer in the field, the teacher in the classroom, the entrepreneur in the market, the soldier on duty, and the researcher in the laboratory. This is how a nation turns altitude into advantage,” he said.

Mr Tinubu reiterated his administration’s commitment to the realisation of Nigeria’s space policy and programme as enshrined in the revised 25-year roadmap for space development.

He assured that his administration, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, is committed to developing the society.

The president noted that his administration’s investments in the sector are prompted by the opportunities in outer space. According to him,the outer space is a new frontier for human development, a stimulus for increased technological advancement and economic diversification.

He added that the outer space provides “a unique challenge and platform for effective exploration and exploitation of the nation’s natural resources as well as the protection of its environment”.

Mr Tinubu urged the space agency to be alive to its mandate of ensuring that space assets and resources over Nigeria are used responsibly. He directed the agency to “employ all legally available means to enforce the space regulation and spectrum management framework for a secure utilisation of space assets and resources over Nigeria, as provided in the NASDRA Act 2010”.

Science and tech minister Kingsley Udeh described the National Space Council meeting, chaired by the vice-president, on behalf of the president, as historic. He said the outcome of the meeting, which he described as ”landmark”, will improve  Nigeria’s space industry and ecosystem.

(NAN)