The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the appointment of Dr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba as substantive Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
NASRDA was conceptualised in 1998 and established on August 1, 2001 by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
See the Scope/Objectives of the Agency.
Report of the Committee on Science and Technology
Confirmation of the Nomination of Mr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba for Appointment as Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency by Senator Uche Ekwunife.
Senator Uche Ekwunife moves that the Senate do receive and consider the report of the Committee on Science and Technology on the Confirmation of the Nomination of Mr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba for Appointment as Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency.
Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi seconds.
Senator Uche Ekwunife lays and presents the report.
“I am a member of this Committee. I was the pioneer Director General of this agency where I served for ten years. Dr. Shaba is capable of re-engineering the agency and bringing back its lost glory.”
“I have worked with him, he is intelligent, a team player and he is completely detribalize. I appeal to my colleagues to please support the recommendation of this Committee.” – Senator Ajayi Borrofice
The Nomination of Mr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba is CONFIRMED as the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency.
The Nigerian Senate
Biography
Dr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba (October 1, 1966) hails from Lapai in Niger State, North-Central Nigeria and finished his primary education at the Local Education Authority, Polytechnic road, Kaduna. He attended Rimi College, Kaduna and Government Secondary School, Rijau respectively between 1978 and 1984. He graduated from the Bayero University in Kano with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography (1988) and completed his National Youth Service Corps in 1989.
He further obtained his Masters Degree (Technology in Remote sensing application) in 1993 and also a Ph.D. in the same course in 2000; all from the Federal University of Technology, Minna.
He started his career as a cartographer at the National Population Commission (NPC) in 1989, and then transferred his service from the NPC to the Federal University of Technology, Minna in 2001 as a lecturer and rose to the position of Deputy Dean, Students Affairs of the Institution;
He joined the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in 2006.
Whilst at NEMA, he was the Deputy Director, Planning and Research at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) before he was appointed Director of Strategic Space Applications at the National Space Research and Development Agency since 2009 before his current appointment.
He is a member of academics of Science, Nigeria Geographic Association, Association of Nigerian Authors and GEOSON and
An expert in Geosciences and Geomatics, specializing in Satellite Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems, Shaba has been a Member of Nigerian Delegation to United Nations Committee on Peaceful Use of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS); Joint Expert Group (JEG8) on the implementation of an integrated AU-EU Joint Strategy under the 8th Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space; Extended Coordinating Team of Global Monitoring of the Environment & Africa (GMES & Africa); and Executive Committee Member & GEO Principal for Nigeria, Group on Earth Observation (GEO), Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Halilu’s appointment has not gone without some mild drama after the expiration of the two-term tenure of Professor Seidu Mohammed.
On 02 July 2019, the FG announced that Mr Jonathan Angulu, a history graduate and most senior Director (Procurement and Projects), Acting Director-General and should provide a smooth transition, since one of the eligibility criteria is that the DG must have obtained his/her first degree in Science/Engineering.
Mr Angulu ironically, handed over to Dr Halilu on 26 July, 2019 to continue as Acting Director-General.
However, on 29 July, 2019 the Federal Government of Nigeria reversed Shaba’s appointment citing “violation of civil service regulations and (which) amounted to an infraction of regulatory policies” and re-instated Mr Angulu.
On 15 May, 2020 following the retirement of Mr Angulu, the most senior Director in NASRDA, Dr Francis Dubem Chizea, was appointed Acting Director-General, as required by the Public Service Rules, by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
He has remained in that position until the appointment of Dr Halilu (his junior) as substantive Director-General by President Buhari.
Dr. Halilu Shaba will be the third substantive Director-General of NASRDA after Professors Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo) and Seidu Onailo Mohammed (Kogi), in that order.
