The Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) has called on the new management of the Defence Space Administration (DSA) to raise the bar of technological advancement in order to tackle national insecurity.
The Minister made this call during a courtesy visit by the management of the DSA to the Ministry of Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
During the visit, the Minister emphasized the need for the DSA to deploy new and advanced technology to unlock space resources and satellites to compete favourably with other countries around the world. He congratulated the new Chief of the Defence Space Administration, Air Vice Marshall Ayo Jolasinmi, on his well-deserved appointment and expressed optimism that a lot would be achieved under his watch. The Minister also assured the management of his continuous support towards mitigating the funding challenges facing the DSA.
In his remarks, Air Vice Marshall Ayo Jolasinmi, the Chief of the Defence Space Administration, thanked the Minister for approving his appointment and ensuring the timely release of intervention funds, which he said were cushioning the effects of minimal budgetary allocation. He stated that the DSA was better positioned to use space products with the launch of the first satellite and that satellite two and three would be launched soon.
The Chief of the Defence Space Administration also briefed the Minister that the orbit was working well, saying, the servicing of its frequency required continuous support from the Ministry. Air Vice Marshall Ayo Jolasinmi is a combat helicopter pilot with over four thousand flying hours to his credit, and he assumed the command of the DSA on 3rd February of this year. Before his present appointment, he was the Chief of Defence Policy and Plans.
With the Minister of Defence challenge to the new management of the Defence Space Administration to embrace innovative and advanced technology to tackle national insecurity, he is optimistic that the DSA would achieve great feats under the leadership of the new Chief, and assured the management of his continuous support towards mitigating funding challenges facing the DSA.