The new Director-General of Nigeria’s space agency, the National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA, Dr Halilu Shaba Ahmed, has assumed office.
The handing-over ceremony between the new Director-General and the Acting, Dr Francis Chizea, was completed on 5 May, 2021.
Dr Ahmad Shaba Halilu
This follows the confirmation of Dr Halilu’s nomination by the Senate as required by the National Space Research and Development Agency Act of 2010 setting-up NASRDA..
The Senate Committee on Science and Technology had earlier screened the Director-General nominee on 22 March, 2021.
The Special Advisor to President Buhari on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojodu, who presented him to the Committee for screening, described Dr Halilu as a good choice by the President for that position.
The Committee examined the suitability of Dr Halilu as a candidate for Director-General of NASRDA and all the petitions by some groups against his candidature which were all said to be unsubstantiated.
There was no petition to the Senate against his candidature from any officer in NASRDA.
The Committee was also interested in knowing if he is a man of integrity as required by the Senate Standing Rules of 2015 (as amended) and that he does not belong to any political party as against the Public Service Rules guiding the activities of public officers.
The Committee expressed satisfaction with Dr Halilu’s qualification for the position as required by the NASRDA Act of 2010.
After the screening, a report was presented by the Chair of the Committee, Senator Uche Ekwunife, to the Senate plenary of 109 senators who voted to accept Dr Halilu’s nomination on simple majority.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari nominated Dr Halilu as substantive Director-General/Chief Executive of NASRDA in a letter to the Senate dated
25 February, 2021 which was read in the Senate plenary of 9 March, 2021 by Dr Ahmad Lawan, Nigeria’s Senate President.
In it, President Buhari wrote: “Pursuant to Sections 14(1) and (2) of the National Space Research and Development Agency Act 2010, I present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Mr Halilu Ahmad Shaba as Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency…”
The Senate President, as Senate protocols demand, referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, which has oversight functions on NASRDA, to consider and report back to Senate plenary in two weeks.
This followed the adoption of a referral motion by Senate (Majority) Leader, Abdullahi Abubakar, seconded by Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Dr Halilu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria (1988); a Masters in Remote Sensing from Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria (1993) and a doctorate from same university also in Remote Sensing (1999).
He worked briefly in National Population Commission and lectured in Federal University of Technology, Minna, from 2001 to 2006 before moving to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, as Deputy Director from 2006 to 2009.
He joined NASRDA as Director, Strategic Space Applications in 2009.
The position of Director-General, NASRDA, became vacant after the two terms of Prof Seidu Mohammed as Director-General ended in June, 2019.
NASRDA on 2 July, 2019 announced that Mr Jonathan Angulu is Acting Director-General and will oversee a smooth transition of NASRDA operations with a new substantive Director-General.
However, before a substantive Director-General was appointed, Mr Angulu handed over to Dr Halilu to continue as Acting Director-General on 26 July, 2019.
On 29 July, 2019 the Federal Government of Nigeria reversed it citing “violation of civil service regulations and (which) amounted to an infraction of regulatory policies” and re-instated Mr Angulu as Acting Director-General.
On 15 May, 2020 following the retirement of Mr Angulu, the most senior director in NASRDA, Dr Francis Chizea, was appointed Acting Director-General by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (the supervising ministry) as required by the Public Service Rules.
NASRDA is one of the 17 agencies and parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
Seniority, as in this case, is determined (according to the Nigerian Public Service Rules) based on the date of appointment as director.
Dr Chizea has remained in that position till this appointment of Dr Halilu as substantive Director-General by President Buhari and his confirmation by the Senate.
Dr Ahmad Halilu becomes the third substantive Director-General of NASRDA.
The first was Professor Robert Ajayi Borroffice and the second was Professor Seidu Mohammed.
NASRDA was created in May, 1999 as a Research and Development agency with a mandate to pursue the development and application of space science and technology for the social and economic benefit of Nigeria.
picture courtesy: nasrda
