Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has blamed the Federal Government’s failure to produce Nigerian‑made satellites on the lack of policy continuity by his successors. In a statement released on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said that the absence of consistent policies over the past 15 years has prevented the country from building its own satellite.
The remarks were made during a courtesy visit by the management team of Algorism Ltd, led by Chief Executive Officer Rasheed Adegoke, to Obasanjo’s Presidential Library penthouse residence. Obasanjo lamented that the nation’s technological progress would remain a “mirage” and recalled his administration’s 1999‑2007 plan to develop a satellite entirely with Nigerian expertise. He explained that the government had arranged for Chinese partners to train 120 Nigerians in satellite construction, with the expectation that the first satellite would be built jointly, the second with the trained Nigerians, and by the third attempt Nigeria would be able to build a satellite independently. “The 120 Nigerians were nowhere to be found again,” he said, noting that the subsequent government failed to understand the importance of this initiative, which he described as part of Nigeria’s misfortune.
Obasanjo added that, as of January 2022, the Nigerian government still required presidential approval to purchase a satellite. When asked about mentoring the company, he affirmed that his doors remain open, provided his health permits. He cited his daily two‑hour squash sessions, early‑morning walks, and overall physical well‑being as evidence of his continued availability: “My door is open for mentoring… from my head to my stomach level, no problem. Even from the stomach level to my legs I am still okay.”
Earlier, Adegoke explained that his team was at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library for a retreat and deemed it appropriate to pay the legend a courtesy visit and congratulate him on his forthcoming 86th birthday.
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