Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai / AFP
By Emmanuel Elebeke
The Chief of Army Staff, LT. Gen, Turkur Buratai has charged Nigerian engineers to domesticate space technology that will address the numerous insecurity challenges bedeviling the country.
Buratai gave the charge Wednesday as a guest of honour at the 2018 one day interactive seminar of the Nigerian Institute of Space Engineers, a division of the Nigerian Society Engineers, on the theme: Application of Space Technology: A Tool for Enhancing National Security held at NigComSat limited in Abuja.
The army chief, who was represented by the Commander of Military Air Space Command, CoL. Alban C. Obi said by localizing space technology in place of imported technologies Nigeria would go a long way in tackling most of the perennial security challenges ravaging the country.
He said the topic of the seminar could not have come at a better time than now, considering the increasing role the space technology plays in our security operations across the country.
The theme he said, embraced the core objectives of President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda, which is security for all Nigerians and for non- Nigerians across the country.
‘‘We are all aware that the Armed forces and security agencies have been in the fore front of tackling the security challenges in the country. They include terrorism, farmers/herdsmen clashes and kidnapping, armed banditry, cattle rustling, pipeline vandalism.
‘‘Space technology plays a vital role in tackling these challenges. The Nigerian Army use space as the ultimate background design strategies for tackling insecurity, which means that spaced technology has a multiplier effect.
‘‘The opportunities offered by space technology in the area of weather focasting, rocketry, imagery, land survey etc will impact positively on the operations of the services and security agencies in tackling threats against national security.
‘‘No doubt the application of space technology in the Nigerian army operation has been and will continue to be very useful in enhancing national security. To achieve this, the importance of regular and qualitative training as well as research cannot be over emphasized.
He therefore charged the participants to raise the discuss on ways to address security challenges in Nigeria through the application of space technology, insisting that space power is essential for our national relevance in the international arena.
‘‘The increasing relevance of space technology in the security issue has significant relevance. I implore you all to spare a thought on indigenous space technology that would shift attention from imported technologies.
‘‘The Buhari’s administration has always emphasized the need for local content. Also charged them to factor in local technology by application of locally made space technologies,’’ he added.
In his address, the Chairman of NISE, Dr. Spencer Onuh said the use of space has become a crucial part of national security and international stability, saying that the utilization of space technology application to solve the myriads of security problems is a must in this present state of insecurity of our nation.
According to him, integration of space capabilities into the various military functions would give the armed forces of Nigeria and other security agencies an array of technological capabilities that facilitates superiority giant adversaries in the battle ground.
‘‘The increasing relevance of space technology development to states, which carry significant strategic, economic, and commercial implications, is a crucial issue in the national security of states.
‘‘It is high time the national security and economic policy makers considered space power issues as core strategic areas of interest,’’ he stated, adding that with the aid of NigeriaSat-2 imageries and other technologies involving live camera monitoring devices such as close-circuit television , CCTV among others can help address the current security challenges.