Amidst Challenges, Nigerian Space Program ‘Not An Ego Trip’ Says NASRDA’s Mohammed

The Nigerian space program has no billion dollars worth of budget nor modern laboratory and equipments, and new challenges lie in wait. But director general S. O. Mohammed of the Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency is bent on getting scientific accomplishments despite the small funding.

Nigerian space program will never be an ego trip, according to Mohammed. He said that instead of being part of the race to Mars and the moon, their agency is looking at ways on how to come out with common Nigerian solutions to most of their problems. Among his visions include the capability to locally design and construct a satellite by 2018, and by 2030, he plans to launch a satellite from the Nigerian territory. Following this is to send a man to the moon.

However, Mohammed is currently facing probes as critics continue to question the money given to the space program while 70 percent of the people are living below the poverty line and the economy faces an impending recession. He is also being questioned about the use of a moon mission that will be launched more than 60 years following Apollo 11, WWLP reported.

According to Mohammed, Nigeria's three current satellites are an indication of the benefits of a national space program, and that the agency has already documented the country's regional climate change patterns as well as update their outdated maps.  In addition, the agency has been helpful in tracing the activities of the terrorist group Boko Haram in some remote areas of Nigeria.

Reports indicate that the next priority of Mohammed would be the launch of Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite that will be able to penetrate cloud coverage. The photos that it will produce are expected to help monitor the activity in the Gulf of Guinea that has recently reported an increase in pirate activity. As explained by Mohammed, these projects are reflections of "capacity building", or advancements that can ultimately turn Nigeria into a space innovation hub in the region.  

While NASRDA has been awarded this year with $20 million worth of funding to continue its operations, it still needs $65 million more in order to get its next satellite project started, according to WGal News.