Onu said the Federal Government was working actively already to make sure Nigeria had sent an astronauts into space by 2030.
“The space programme is very important for a country like Nigeria,” he said. “The ministry will work very hard in the years ahead to strengthen all the structures of the agencies that will help us to ensure that the nation plays a role in the space,” he said.While I eaqually think there is nothing wrong with space technology and that Nigeria also need to play at least a role in space tehcnology but periority must be set and followed. Has any of the developed and leading industrialised countries started from the top or really from bottom which is the light technology that first catered for their basic domestic needs, creat surplus foods and wealth for their population. History of Chiness technological development and advancement can be very good example here and likewise other technologically advance countries of this world. The Chinese have developed technologically. Unlike Nigeria with no technological development, China's scientific and technological revolution started as early as the Tang Dynasty, around year 618-906, with inventions such as the propeller, piston pomp, parachute and suspension bridge to mention a few and continued with the invention of navigational magnetic compass and more, during the Song Dynasty.
Unfortunately for China, it did not develop a strong scientific revolution like Europe and its scientific and technological development stalled and became stagnant thereafter, due to its retrogressive political system. Furthermore, it built it first Iron and Steel factory after the first world war and developed a policy of self-reliance in the 50s, which led to the emergence of small scale plants.
In 1975, China made serious efforts towards scientific and technological development with the formation of what was called "Four Modernization" namely: National Defense, Science & Technology, Agriculture and Industry, with scientific research in superconductivity, nuclear weapons and satellite technology. This was around the same late seventies that I attended the Conference on Technology Transfer at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, organized by Nigeria under Bolaji Akinyemi, who was the Director-General of the institute and which was attended by a number of foreign Ambassadors to Nigeria, including the Chinese Ambassador. I made a reference to this in my post about a week ago.
While Obasanjo was busy sending Nigerians abroad on "Crash Programs" in the late '70s in search of technology transfer, thinking the developed world would voluntarily transfer technology to Nigeria by way of knowledge, skill transfer and method of manufacturing and without any plans on what they would do when they return to Nigeria, China intentionally established 'Overseas On-The-Job-Training Programs' between 1979 and 1984 and sent a large number of Chinese students to Japan, Europe and the United States, with the aim of copying developed world's technologies to develop its local technologies.
In 1987, China developed its own microprocessor and its electronics industry grew to over 2,400 companies. During this period, China made technological progress in nuclear weaponry, machinery, computers and satellites, because there were conscious and concerted efforts and coordination between research institutes and production companies; a connectivity of factories, universities and research institutes in China.
By 2000, China had over 29 million technical personnel in various scientific and technological activities, including about 2 million Scientists and Engineers building a system of Innovation and Research and Development (R&D), which culminated in China becoming the third country in the whole world to send humans into space in 2003.
Today, China is a major manufacturing hub with clients like Apple, Microsoft and IBM of the United States.
So, no developed country sent humans into space, before developing its local technologies as you thought. Furthermore, you need to have the know-how and the tools first, in order to develop your technology. There is no magic wand or "ripple model" anywhere in the world. It's all about making conscious and concerted efforts, when it comes to technological development. You need to crawl before you know how to walk. Technological development is a process. You don't jump the gun or hitch-hike other people's proprietary technologies to space like Nigeria does and call that technology development.
Buhari needs to find a serious minded person as Minister of Science and Technology to replace the non-serious minister who wants to hitch-hike his way to space by Year 2030, otherwise Nigeria will remain underdeveloped forever.
It's a wrong priority for the Minister of Science and Technology to embark on space program, when Nigeria cannot produce a simple technology such as telephone in 2016. Space program is a misplaced priority. Nigeria has not developed its local technology yet. That's what the minister needs to be focused on right now. He needs to provide an enabling environment and tools for Nigerian youths to start innovating and inventing things in the fields of science and technology, rather than planning for Nigerians to go to space by year 2030.
The minister needs to know what to do and where to start. Countries that have space programs already developed their local technologies gave sufficency and solve most of their basic needs, before they embarked on space programs. You don't build things from the top to the bottom, you build things from the bottom to the top.
What Nigeria state should focus now is science and technology for National Defense, Agriculture and Industry that will lead us into aboundant wealth creation and food security, real education for productivity and self dependency and any other domestic needs. Our Refineries are not working, primitive agriarian still pavade the land, we depended on foriegn countries in all things. Let's develop our science and tehnology towards solving all these.Then all other thing can as well follow!
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