Former President Obasanjo Urges Effective Policy Implementation in Space Technology

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on the Nigerian Government to ensure the effective implementation of policies and statements, particularly in the space technology sector, to drive national development.

Obasanjo made this call during the 8th Brig. Gen. (rtd) Ogbonna Agu’s annual lecture and awards ceremony, organised by the Nigerian Institution of Space Engineers (NISE) in Abuja, Nigeria.

The theme of the lecture was ‘Nigeria’s 21 Years in Space: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects’. He noted that many policies, especially in the area of space technology, remain unimplemented.

Obasanjo, therefore, underscored the importance of turning plans into action to harness Nigeria’s potential in space technology. He said Nigeria still has progress to make in achieving its goals.

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“What I am trying to say is that it is not enough to have a policy. It is not enough to even have a good statement like the one my sister has made. We are not short of policies in this country. If you go to the archives, our archives are full of policies. But there are many dead policies, unimplemented policies, and unexecuted policies.

“And therefore, we are where we should not have been. Those who have made progress have not done so based on wishes but on active efforts to make progress,” Obasanjo said.

He emphasised that while the country cannot be involved in all areas of national life, in areas where necessary, the Government should ensure full implementation.

Obasanjo stressed the need for the Government to harness and leverage home-grown human capacity for global competitiveness.