http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/...329072005.html


ABUJA— PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo said yesterday that Nigeria would be in space in the next 15 years. He spoke at a meeting with Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation (NIDO).
He said the feat was achievable if the momentum of current development drive was sustained. "In 15 to 25 years, we will put Nigeria into space. We will get there. It is not as unattainable as it looks. And we have to do it. For if we are going to make progress, we are going to make it on the basis of commitment, service and sacrifice. And we are not going to be found wanting. We must not be found wanting. We are making efforts not to lag behind. We are not where we would want to be. But we must consistently and cumulatively industrialise. And to do this, infrastructure is a must. We just cannot do without it. Whether it is in terms of road, rail, energy or water. These are non-negotiable. Because of money, we may not be able to do everything at same speed and same time," Obasanjo said.
He challenged Nigerians in Diaspora to know that they have a greater stake in the great Nigerian future, pointing out that it is only in Nigeria that they can prosper and have the opportunity to aspire to the highest political office available.
He regretted that Nigerian universities were producing unemployable graduates and advised students to study professional courses rather than theory-based courses. He said Nigerians abroad had a stake to right the ugly situation.
His words: "We just have to have competent men and women. What I will say here, some people may not like it. I reckon that our universities should also be retooling and re-tuning. I will not go against anybody who goes to the university today to study sociology, but I will say the utilitarian value will not be as much as somebody who goes to the university to study computer science.
"Even yesterday, Wednesday, somebody came to me and said that ‘I have two Masters degree and I have no job’. I asked in which courses. The person said one is in Mass Communication and the other in Sociology. I said that person cannot get a job because he is mis-educated. You now have to go and be re-educated to make your skill be in demand."
The NIDO, led by former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Barth Nnaji, had briefed the President on the resolution from the conference. These were in the areas of Information, Communications and Technology (CIT), engineering and infrastructure, space and nuclear technology, agriculture and biotechnology and health.
"We recognise the strength that this coming together can bring along in forging a partnership with your government for national development. This is why many of us have come from various places to participate in this and many are coming to invest in our country. You know that literally, there is no place on earth that you will not find a Nigerian and here in this hall you have Nigerians who have come to answer your call for national service. Many are eminent in their various fields.
"We voted unanimously yesterday, Wednesday, to ask that your government put in place legislation that will make science and technology a fundamental engine of national development. We came away with 37 recommendations which include that we recommend that we all, driven by the government should get Nigeria to industrialise within 10 years. And to do this, there are a number of things that need to be done. One of which is put in place appropriate infrastructure which we know that the government is diligently working to achieve, he said.

I really want to see this.I pray it happens ,but this is faniciful thinking at most .

Fugg a spaceship, we cannot survive for long periods of time up there anyway and the technology is 40 years old that takes us up there.

Hopefully he will focus on something that will be technically superior to what the US and Europe can offer. Now imagine if those brothers came up with a useful way to produce, manage, and distribute solar energy effectively? They would completely wreck the oil industry and could corner the market on energy within 10-20 years.

Hopefully he will see this because sending a Nigerian up in a space ship for a few days might boost the moral of the country a little, but it would waste billions that could be spent at home that could do so much more.

Don't get me wrong I am all for exploration, but damn she is the only African country that I see at the moment that could repay its debt and then give Europe a middle finger. She has oil and could use that to strangle the world. Now what if she took the route above? How dominant would Nigeria be in the world if she took steps to become the #1 broker of oil and solar energy storage and distribution? Or course afterward she probably would be declared a baston for terrorism for not sharing her knowledge LOL But that is for another thread LOL

@Burning Spear: Yes it is just that, fanciful thinking. This isjust typical of Nigerians, always wanting to run before they can walk without having anything concrete to back up their plans. Its all talk! Dreams are fine, just as long as they are in their rightful place.

The governmentshould start by sorting out the countries many, many problems before having grand ideas.

For example, there are no proper roads, there are no proper running water facilities and there are constant power cuts. The whole country is decaying and nobody in authority gives a danm! They need to sort out the problem of corruption in high places and they need toput an end to poverty.

Thegovernment needs to put a proper infrastructure in place which will help tocreate jobs and opportunities, which in turnwill give the people of Nigeria much needed hope for the future. Nowthis seams the logical thing to do now doesn't it?

When the government has achievedall this, then theycan talk all they wantabout wanting tosend people into space.People like Abasanjo should stop wasting timerunning from the lips chatting shit because it makes him look good in front of the cameras.

I just can't see these guys building a space ship when they have so many problems they could fix with the money, especially when they would not have the money to build a new shuttle. I could see it blowing up as well.

Humans like to explore, but man to waste all that money if an explosion happened? Risky if you ask me.

I dont like the whole idea-unless obasanjo is thing from his behind

he need to sort out whats on the ground first



period

Africa has a miriad of problems right now that African leaders should be addressing. As usual we're there trying to hang on to thewhite mans coat-tails rather than setting our own agenda... WE DON'T NEED NO AFRICAN NEIL ARMSTRONG RIGHT NOW!!!

white folks cant even figure if discovery will come back safely let alone Nigerians....and if you think they are underated then read their ceebrity magazine called OVIATION they you will see how their socity is so divided...

Yeah they've probably set up immigration control up there by now so we'd be illegal in space.... who needs it man..

Deported from space..Bwoy dats the last straw