Segun Atanda/
The Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) Matthew Adepoju, has explained that Nigeria’s satellites are not currently designed to provide real-time surveillance to support the country’s security operations.
Adepoju gave the explanation during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Friday, while responding to growing public concern over the nation’s ability to track recent mass abductions and insecurity in northern Nigeria.
He said there was widespread misunderstanding about the actual capacity of Nigeria’s earth-observation satellites.
Adepoju stated, “Sometimes there’s a misconception about what the satellites should do and what they have the capacity to do.
“The one that the military has, and the one we launched in the agency, are imagers. They don’t record videos.”
He explained that Nigeria’s existing satellites are in orbit and only return over the country after several days, making real-time monitoring impossible.
According to him, “They travel around the globe. For example, NigeriaSat-1 and NigeriaSat-2 take an average of three days before they come back here. If you want global coverage, we need to launch many satellites into orbit. As one is going, another should be coming.”
Adepoju disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has approved the launch of four new satellites to significantly reduce the time lag in coverage.
He said, “This constellation will reduce the time lag to four to six hours, depending on the orbital slot.
“But we plan to add more satellites so that we can achieve near-real-time capability. We don’t yet have real-time coverage.”
Responding to a question on how many satellites Nigeria currently operates, the NASRDA boss confirmed that only two are presently active.
He said one is dedicated to communication while the other is used for earth observation.
On whether Nigeria has alternative surveillance options in the meantime, Adepoju revealed that the agency has secured a partnership with a major United States satellite operator.
He said, “Due to the problem we face, we reached out to technical partners in America. It took us 18 months to secure the necessary security clearance.”
According to him, the foreign partner controls nearly 300 satellites capable of providing Nigeria with advanced intelligence.
He added, “We have signed the MoU and the non-disclosure agreement. The only thing left is funding.
“It is a robust platform for signal analytics. We can even listen to some of the things terrorists are doing.
“It breaks my heart when states shut down mobile communication. Most of these terrorists are not using mobile networks. They communicate through satellites, and I know that for a fact.”
Adepoju also called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s security planning framework, insisting that space and intelligence agencies must be fully integrated into national security decisions.
He said, “First and foremost, the national security architecture needs to be rejigged.
“An agency like ours must sit at the table when national security issues are discussed. When you are not present during critical decisions, the information you provide depends on the interpretation of whoever receives it.”
His remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s security infrastructure following persistent kidnappings, banditry and terrorist attacks across several parts of the country.
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