Debunking the rumours which have been circulated around the internet of late, Dr Tsala Essomba said that the statement credited to former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Henri Ayissi accusing Joshua of diabolic practices does not reflect the belief of Cameroon’s populace.

“With regards to what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is doing through T.B. Joshua in his country and several other countries where he has been invited, we are delighted to say that the proof of his apostleship is not anymore a disputable matter,” said Essomba, the founder and president of Cameroon’s Pentecostal Christian Churches.

Writing in Nigeria’s evening newspaper PM News, the media house that initially broke the story of Joshua’s purported blacklisting in Cameroon, Essomba added, “We want to affirm our belief in Joshua’s ministry and to present our firm conviction to the fact that he is a source of inspiration and great blessing to the church of God all over the world.” He extended an invitation to Joshua to visit Cameroon, stressing that Ayissi’s communiqu was inconsequential and the majority of Cameroonians supported Joshua wholeheartedly.

Simon Ateba of PM News, who wrote the first story entitled, ‘Cameroon Blacklists TBJoshua’, added in the article that Joshua is ‘immensely popular in Cameroon’ and pilgrims regularly troop from there to The SCOAN in Lagos, Nigeria. He reported on Joshua’s rise to prominence in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and various African nations, especially since his accurate prophecy relating to the death of Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika.

“Since Mutharika’s death, stories on T.B. Joshua, his predictions and miracles have been front page news in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and a horde of other southern African countries where the 48-year old preacher from Ondo State, southwest Nigeria, is extremely popular,” Ateba reported.

Although controversial, T.B. Joshua continues to rise in both awareness and acclaim, especially due to the popularity of his Christian television station Emmanuel TV, which is watched in millions of homes across Africa on a daily basis.

Notable African politicians to visit to his church in Lagos include Ghana’s President John Atta Mills, Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangarai, Malawi’s new head Joyce Banda and Winnie Mandela of South Africa.

Eric Abena |May 19, 2012 | Douala, Cameroon

SOURCES:
Africa News – http://www.africanews.com/site/CAMEROON_TB_JOSHUA_YOU_ARE_WELCOME/list_messages/41703

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In an era where boat rides and packed bus rides across the Ekok borders are non-existent, PSquare arrived in grand style. Is that First Class or private jet? Whatever it is, they’re big boyz.

Bienvenue au Cameroun.

Cameroon Web News| 18 May 2012 | Yenih’s World

Collected from one of four video camera traps set up by researchers in the protected area, the footage reveals eight Cross River gorillas casually making their way along a forest path.

“This video gives us all a spectacular view into the hidden world of one of our closest relatives, which is in dire need of our help to survive,” said Steve Sanderson, WCS President and CEO.

Christopher Jameson, Director of WCS’s Takamanda Mone Landscape Project, added: “The video represents the best images to date of Cross River gorillas, normally shy animals that flee at the slightest hint of human presence. The footage provides us with our first tantalizing glimpses of Cross River gorillas behaving normally in their environment. A person can study these animals for years and never even catch a glimpse of the gorillas, much less see anything like this.”

Running at almost two minutes in length, the video begins with the entry of one gorilla, which sits at the base of a tree while others emerge from the dense forest. At one point, a male silverback appears, surveying the area (and perhaps aware of the camera) before running past the camera lens giving a classic “chest-beating” display. Another gorilla (appearing in the footage at around 1:18 in the sequence) appears to be missing a hand, a healed injury but a disquieting indicator of the presence of snares within the family group’s range in the past before increased patrolling in the now-protected area.

“Cross River gorillas occur in very low densities across their entire range, so the appearance of a possible snare injury is a reminder that continued law enforcement efforts are needed to prevent further injuries to gorillas in the sanctuary,” said Dr. Liz Macfie, Gorilla Coordinator for WCS’s Species Program.

The Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary was established by the government of Cameroon in 2008 for the sole purpose of protecting the Cross River gorilla and evolved out of the “Gorilla Guardian” community network, created by WCS to improve gorilla survival prospects in the most vulnerable unprotected forest sites in Cameroon. The sanctuary is now managed by a conservator (chief warden) assisted by two ecoguards, all appointed by the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF), and a strong team of local staff from the eight villages near the protected area. Kagwene is the only site where daily monitoring of Cross River gorilla movements takes place.

“Spectacular footage such as this, which we’ve never had before for Cross River gorillas, is absolutely vital to inspire local people, the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon, and the global community to care about and to save this unique subspecies,” said Dr. James Deutsch, Executive Director for WCS’s Africa Program. “Continued research of this kind will help fine-tune management plans to protect this rarest of apes.”

The Cross River gorilla is the rarest of the four subspecies of gorilla, with fewer than 250 individuals remaining across its entire range, limited to the remote forested mountainous terrain on the border region of Nigeria and Cameroon. The subspecies is listed as “Critically Endangered” and is threatened by both habitat destruction and hunting, as the entire population lives in a region of high human population density and heavy natural resource exploitation. Local community residents in the area surrounding Kagwene do not directly hunt Cross River gorillas due to traditional beliefs, but they do set snares for other forest animals, and these could occasionally injure gorillas.

Key support for the creation of the sanctuary was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which also provided funding for the camera traps and other monitoring equipment. Other support for the project came from: Pro Wildlife; Berggorilla; and World Wide Fund for Nature. In Cameroon, WCS works in cooperation with the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF).

Additional supporters for Cross River gorilla conservation in both Cameroon and Nigeria include: the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria; North Carolina Zoological Society; the Arcus Foundation; KfW (German Development Bank); International Union of the Conservation of Nature’s SOS Program; Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation; Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Great Apes Survival Partnership; UNEP – Convention on Migratory Species; The Gorilla Organization; National Geographic Society; Fauna and Flora International; Pandrillus; the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF); Cleveland Zoological Society; Kolmarden Zoo; Taronga Zoo; and World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA).

Source: Wildlife Conservation Society | May 8, 2012 | Newswise |

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During the raid on a three-bedroom flat located at an isolated axis of the area, Fatima, Habibu Abubakar, a pregnant woman from Maiduguri and a little child were rescued by members of the JTF, before gunning down their husband suspected to be the mastermind of last Sunday’s attack on a Catholic church at Bayero University Kano, BUK, during which at least 20 people, including two Professors were killed.

Security sources said the rescued women were being questioned to get more clues on the hideouts of the remnants of the Boko Haram sect residing within the area termed as one of the major dens of the Islamic fundamentalists who have launched deadly attacks on Kano since 20 January this year.

During the January incident, over 200 people lost their lives in the sect’s most coordinated attacks on the state and security agencies.

According to residents of Bubugaje, the slain Boko Haram member whose name is yet to be known came into the area about two months ago.

“He did not communicate with anybody. He does his things his own way. We see him leave the house on a motorbike and he has no friend within the neighbourhood,” said a resident.

A security chief told P.M.NEWS that the successful attack carried out by the JTF in the early hours of today followed some useful information received from members of the public.

It was also learnt that following the identification of Fatima as a Cameroonian, directives have been issued from Abuja to intensify security at all the border towns in northern Nigeria while intelligence officers have been deployed in all spots identified as hideouts of members of the Islamic sect in Kano and other parts of the North.

The Bubugaje raid was supervised by Director of State Security Service, SSS, Commander 3 Brigade, Nigeria Army, Kano and the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who said the JTF recovered AK 47 rifle, 35 knives, 6 high calibre remote control Improvised Explosive Devices, laptops, 458 rounds of live ammunition, a bank deposit slip and Islamic leaflets.

According to the Commander of the 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army kano, Brigadier General Isa Abbah the raided building looks like a bomb factory, adding that the three-hour raid was another major breakthrough by the JTF.

PM News | May 4, 2012 | PM News

According to eyewitnesses, the blast tore through St Theresa’s Church in Madalla as worshippers gathered for Christmas services.

An emergency official told reporters that the authorities were struggling to cope with the casualties.

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman, Yushau Shuaibu told the BBC that the explosion had happened in the street outside the church.

But he said the church had been badly affected by the blast, and the number of dead was likely to rise.

Earlier he told Reuters news agency: “We are presently evacuating the dead and the injured, but unfortunately we don’t have enough ambulances.

“Most of our ambulances have gone to operate on the major highways of the country.”

Security had been beefed up in recent time following recent skirmishes between Boko Harem gunmen and soldiers in Yobo and Borno States have killed over 50.

Eye witnesses said windows of nearby houses had been shattered by the explosion.

Officials at the local hospital said the condition of many of the injured was serious, and they were seeking help from bigger medical facilities.

No group has said it carried out the attack, although militant group, Boko Haram have been carrying out running attacks in recent times in a number of places in the north including Yobo, Borno and Bauchi States.

However, some of their most spectacular attacks have taken place in Abuja and include the Independence Day bomb attack and the blowing up of the UN Headquarters building.

Our correspondent who visited some churches in the Federal Capital Territory however reports that the incident did not dampen the enthusiasm of worshippers as most were full as expected.

Rather, there is heightened security consciousness as unknown people entering some of the church premises were screened by local security details.

25 December 2011 | This Day |

This demonic practice may have been responsible for the woes suffered by some men including sterility, erectile dysfunction, marital crisis, failure in business and even death, said observers.

Our correspondents reported that some prostitutes with condoms filled with fresh semen were arrested by officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), while raiding some red light areas of the city.

A total of 104 suspected commercial sex workers have been arrested for prosecution during raids carried out by the board in collaboration with the Society Against Prostitution and Child Labour (SAP-CLN)

SAP-CLN is an Abuja-based non-governmental organization involved in the rehabilitation of prostitutes and street children.

An AEPB official, who pleaded anonymity, said some of the commercial sex workers were found with condoms containing fresh male semen after they were picked from the streets. He said the recoveries of the used condoms were made when officials searched bags brought in by the commercial sex workers.

Other items recovered include Benelyn cough syrup laced with codeine, Indian hemp, cigarettes and Dunlop Plastic Solution, an adhesive used in vulcanizing tires.

He said, “It is a recurrent thing here. We find condoms with sperm when we search their bags. The necks of the condoms are tied to prevent the contents from spilling and are carefully wrapped in toilet tissue.

“We also found Benelyn cough syrup, marijuana, cigarettes and an adhesive used by vulcanizers in fixing tyres. Some of them become very wild after taking drugs and one has to be careful when going for the raid.”

A commercial sex worker, who gave her name simply as Joy, told our correspondent that the semen found with some of her colleagues were secretly taken away after they had sex bouts with their patrons.

In an attempt to extract the semen from unsuspecting male “clients,” she said, commercial sex workers exhibit extraordinary care and sex appeal, attributes which, she further claimed, caused many men to lose their guard.

As soon as the man gives in fully to the pleasure of the illicit affair, she said, the prostitute moans and screams wildly in fake ecstasy thereby setting the stage to carry out her mischief.

But where the male “client” refuses to succumb to the trappings of the fake expression of passion, she said, the girl would rub fetish powder on her nipples and offer them to the man to suck. After sucking the breasts, the man loses consciousness and the sex worker would steal all his valuables and collect his semen.

She said some of her colleagues also use drugs to knock out some of their patrons and entice them into having sex in a semi-conscious state. She said: “After pulling the condom, the girl would go into the bathroom and flush the tissue she used in cleaning the man while tying the neck of the condom.

“She would tie the neck of the condom to avoid spillage and carefully hide it away until she is ready to go. Sperm is a very hot thing for people, who use it for medicine. I don’t know how much they sell it because am not into that kind of line.

“But I know that a lot of girls do it and they make so much money from it. I don’t want to carry somebody’s blood because I don’t know what the juju priest will do with someone’s sperm. I only do ashawo (prostitution) business. I don’t sell sperm.”

But determined to stamp out the criminal practice, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, through the AEPB, has launched an operation to dislodge prostitutes from the city.

The operation, which is carried out in collaboration with the Society Against Prostitution and Child Labour (SAP-CLN) has led to the arrest of 104 commercial sex workers in various parts of the city during three raids.

At the raid which was carried out on Thursday, September 29, a total of 44 suspected prostitutes where arrested and held for prosecution.

However, on Monday, October 3, the team arrested another 33 suspected commercial sex workers, while 26 suspects were arrested during another raid on Thursday, October 6.

The operation is carried out based on the provision of Section 35 (1g) of the AEPB Act No. 10 of 1997, which prohibits sex trade in the capital city.

The suspects were arraigned before a mobile court presided over by Mr. Aminu Abdulahi, a magistrate with the FCT.

Out of the 44 suspects that were arrested during the September 29 raid, a total of 31 pleaded guilty to the charge, while 13 pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.

About 16 convicts who could not afford a fine of N5, 000 as stipulated in the AEPB law were sent on one-month imprisonment at Suleja Prison.

However, 13 other convicts, who could afford the stipulated fine, were sent for rehabilitation at the SAP-CLN center located in Sabo Lugbe, off Umaru Yar’Adua Way.

Out of the 33 suspects arrested on Monday, October 3, five of the suspects were released on bail, four were freed after they were screened and an undertaking extracted from them by the court.

The remaining 25 people pleaded guilty to the charge and were accordingly convicted but only seven were sent to Kuje Prison, while 17 paid fine and opted for rehabilitation.

The coordinator of SAP-CLN, Mrs. Grace Adogo, said the organization was touched by the plight of the commercial sex workers who were sent to prison.

She said a lot of the commercial sex workers saw what they did as business and not as a criminal activity. Adogo recounted the story of an inmate who, after spending one month at the rehabilitation centre, suddenly stripped herself and shouted on top of her voice that she could no longer cope.

According to her, the inmate said she used to sleep with several men in a day and send some of the proceeds home for the upkeep of her family.

She said, Our security men ran away on sighting her. “She shouted that she should be released immediately and we did, because we couldn’t keep her against her wish. She said she used to sleep with several men in a day and could not continue to cope without seeing a man.

“She told me that her mother called and said she had lost so much revenue during the one month she was in the center and that she should come out and continue the business. The girl went back home.”

Catherine Agbo and Ibanga Isine | October 19 2011 | Leadership (Abuja)

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SlateAfrique – Les Camerounais se rendent aux urnes le 9 octobre. Peuvent-ils espérer une alternance politique?

Achille Mbembe – Dans les circonstances actuelles, aucune alternance par la voie des urnes n’est possible au Cameroun. L’alternance dans ce pays sera le produit soit d’un mouvement armé s’appuyant ou non sur une formation politique et sur des forces étrangères (comme on l’a vu en Côte d’Ivoire); soit le résultat de la mort naturelle de l’autocrate ou de son assassinat; ou encore d’un coup de force par des fractions dissidentes de l’armée. Pour le reste, les voies d’un changement pacifique orchestré par les Camerounais eux-mêmes sont fermées. La prochaine consultation électorale constitue donc, de ce point de vue, un non-événement.

SlateAfrique – Comment expliquer une telle longévité de Paul Biya, au pouvoir depuis vingt neuf ans?

A.M. – Ayant très tôt compris que pour rester le plus longtemps possible au pouvoir il fallait surtout ne rien faire, il a mis en place un système de gouvernement fort inédit et que j’appelle le gouvernement par l’immobilisme. Il a beaucoup étudié Machiavel dont il s’est efforcé, avec succès, d’adapter les leçons à une situation typiquement africaine. Le génie de Paul Biya est d’avoir découvert que le pouvoir n’a d’autre but que le pouvoir. Le but de ceux qui ont le pouvoir n’est pas d’accomplir quoi que ce soit de grandiose. C’est tout simplement d’être au pouvoir. Et donc gouverner, c’est surtout ne pas gouverner.
Diviser pour ne pas régner

SlateAfrique - A 78 ans, Paul Biya est-il toujours en état de gouverner le Cameroun?

A.M. – Oui, bien entendu. Il est certes sénile. Mais, il a inventé cette formule magistrale qu’est le gouvernement spectral. C’est une formule qui marche à tous les coups. Il n’a même pas besoin d’être vivant pour gouverner. Puisqu’il s’agit surtout de transformer le pouvoir en pouvoir de ne rien faire, je parie qu’il serait en mesure de gouverner même en étant mort.

SlateAfrique - Comment expliquer que l’opposition ne parvienne pas à se mettre d’accord sur un nom ?

A.M. – Il faudrait, pour commencer, que l’opposition existe. Or, strictement parlant, elle n’existe pas. La raison est toute simple. Au cours des cinquante dernières années, c’est toute la société qui a fait l’objet d’une progressive émasculation. L’autoritarisme s’est enkysté dans la culture.

Le régime a largement réussi à imposer une tonton-macoutisation généralisée des esprits. Objectivement, il n’a plus besoin d’utiliser la force physique. Ayant procédé au «déforcage» de la société, il tient le peuple tout entier par les couilles.

SlateAfrique – Comment expliquer que le président Biya soit aussi souvent absent? On dit qu’il passe l’essentiel de son temps hors du Cameroun. Et que plusieurs mois peuvent s’écouler avant qu’il n’organise un conseil des ministres.

A.M. – Cela est vrai. Lorsque —chose rare— il est au Cameroun, il passe l’essentiel de son temps dans son village. Sinon, il préfère vivre en Europe, en Suisse notamment. Il y a, chez lui, une conception très libidinale du pouvoir. Le pouvoir, c’est fait pour toutes sortes de jouissances. D’où l’importance qu’il attache a la villégiature et aux bains de jouvence.
Une opposition exsangue

SlateAfrique – Pourquoi ses absences prolongées ne provoquent-elles pas davantage de réactions de l’opinion publique?

A.M. – Les gens sont complètement épuisés. Ils consacrent le peu d’énergie qu’ils ont encore aux luttes quotidiennes pour la survie. Ou encore lorsqu’il leur vient à l’idée de se battre, c’est en général contre leurs voisins immédiats. Leur rage et leur colère ne sont pas dirigées contre un système, mais souvent contre d’autres plus misérables qu’eux-mêmes.

SlateAfrique – Peut-on parler d’exercice solitaire du pouvoir? Qui gouverne en son absence?

A.M. – Il s’est entouré d’une centaine de vieillards qui ne tiennent pas à mourir seuls. Ils veillent donc sur divers cercles concentriques et attisent haines et jalousies parmi les cadets sociaux qu’ils dominent. Mais comme dans les satrapies anciennes, Paul Biya  a surtout perfectionné l’art de la manipulation. Les gens vivent suspendus a l’espoir d’être nommés, un jour prochain, à un haut poste où ils jouiraient des honneurs et des prébendes que sont censées procurer les positions de pouvoir au sein de l’appareil d’Etat. Il utilise ce sombre désir comme une ressource pour littéralement envoûter et paralyser la société. Nominations, révocations, disgrâces, déchéances et emprisonnements, puis retours spectaculaires en grâce, voila des recettes qui s’avèrent, à tous les coups, porteuses.

SlateAfrique – Les opposants peuvent-ils s’exprimer librement au Cameroun?

A.M – La parole est relativement libre au Cameroun, et souvent, les gens ne se privent pas de dire exactement ce qu’ils pensent. Mais cela n’a aucun impact sur le cours des choses. Toute manifestation publique est en revanche durement réprimée. Des entraves de divers ordres —brimades, intimidations, coups— sont opposées à tout effort d’organisation oppositionnelle. Je crains que l’on n’aie atteint un point de surdité irréversible et que la force soit désormais la seule manière de sortir ce régime de son sommeil. Ceci dit, les groupes sociaux capables d’y recourir ne sont pas organisés.

SlateAfrique – Des observateurs affirment que la France est en train de lâcher Paul Biya. Pensez-vous que ce soit une réalité? Si oui, pourquoi?

Non, la France ne lâche jamais ses amis africains.

Propos recueillis par Pierre Cherruau | 29 Septembre 2011 | Slate Afrique|

The International Monetary Fund has warned Cameroon that the subsidy, which has kept retail prices at about the same level since deadly riots over food and fuel prices in 2008, is hurting the country’s finances and should be phased out.

Cameroon’s state-run Hydrocarbons Prices Stabilisation Fund said on Wednesday the total subsidy on fuel products for the year to September was at 233 billion CFA francs and could reach 300 billion CFA by year-end.

The government had budgeted 240 billion CFA francs.

“Despite the important gap between real prices and prices at the pump, the government has maintained the prices of petroleum products at current levels…for among other reasons, the need to support households,” the fund said in a statement.

Analysts have said Cameroon’s government is eager to avoid a repeat of the 2008 riots that killed more than 100 people, particularly ahead of a presidential election on October 9 in which incumbent leader Paul Biya will seek a new term.

The International Monetary Fund said in its September country report that fuel prices at the pump have not been adjusted to reflect world market conditions since the riots, adding “a significant burden to the budget”.

It urged the government to phase out the subsidy by moving to automatic price adjustment and developing better social programmes that effectively target the poor.

The IMF also said the subsidy was penalising the local refinery, SONARA, which buys light crude at market prices from Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea because it is unable to process the heavier local blends.
Brent crude oil prices have risen 37 percent since a year ago to near $107 per barrel. Prices at Cameroon’s pumps, meanwhile, have held unchanged with petrol at 565 CFA francs per litre and kerosene at 350 CFA francs per litre.

A hike in retail fuel prices would have a knock-on effect for other products and services in Cameroon — boosting taxi and bus fares, and prices for items such as bread and beer.

Cameroon’s subsidy on petroleum products rose 3.7 percent month-on-month in September to 28 billion CFA francs.
Angop | September 26 2011| Angop|

La société Dangote va produire du ciment au Cameroun, dès la mise en place de son usine à la base Elf, sur les berges du Wouri. D’ici deux ans, un million de tonnes de ciment est attendu par an des broyeuses de l’entreprise nigérianne.

Hier, une double signature de convention d’établissement du contrat de bail entre l’Etat du Cameroun et Dangote Industries s’est tenue à Douala. Outre les responsables de la société Dangote, la partie camerounaise était fortement représentée par le ministre des Mines, Badel Danga Ndinga, représentant le Premier ministre chef du gouvernement, assisté de Maïgari Bello Bouba, ministre des Transports, et Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, ministre du Commerce.

« De façon spécifique, Dangote Industries vise la production d’un ciment de 60% de clinker, 35% de cendre volcanique ou de pouzzolane achetées localement et 5% de gypse », a indiqué un responsable de Dangote, qui ajoute par ailleurs que « le coût de l’investissement est de 115 millions de dollars ». Près de 7 milliards de francs cfa vont donc être mis sur la table par les promoteurs nigérians, sur fonds propres. Dans les prochaines semaines, Dangote va finaliser le contrat de bail, acquérir une carrière de pouzzolane en attendant la construction de l’usine dont la première pierre a également été posée hier.

Le groupe Dangote produit déjà 12 millions de tonnes de ciment par an au Nigeria et 16 millions de tonnes dans 13 autres pays africains. Dangote dispose de lignes de production et de terminaux dans six Etats du Nigeria. L’entreprise a aussi des cimenteries en Afrique du Sud, au Sénégal, en Zambie, en Tanzanie, en Ethiopie, au Ghana, en Côte D’Ivoire, au Libéria, au Congo et au Gabon. Outre les cimenteries, le groupe Dangote est également présent dans les secteurs du pétrole, du sucre, de la farine, des pâtes alimentaires et des produits d’emballage.

Flore Edimo | 20 Septembre 2011 | Le Jour |

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The NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X spacecraft were lofted into orbit aboard a Russian Dnepr rocket from a launch pad in the town of Yasny, southern Russia.

Nigeria collaborated with UK engineers on the project, and the satellites are being monitored from control stations in Guildford, UK, and Abuja in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan praised the successful launch.

Mr Jonathan called the event “another milestone in our nation’s effort to solve national problems through space technology”.

The imaging satellites could have a variety of applications, including the monitoring of disaster-prone areas.

Nigerian territory stretches into Africa’s Sahel, a belt of land on the Sahara Desert‘s southern fringe that sees extreme weather conditions.

The Sahel experiences severe droughts in the dry season and devastating rainfall in the wet season. Floods last year displaced about 500,000 people nationwide, with most of them in the Sahel region.

The satellites could also provide Nigeria with the ability to enhance food security through monthly crop monitoring, assist with burgeoning urban planning demands and, through the development of engineering skills, advance the country’s technological capability.

Both satellites were built at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford, under contract with the Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

But 26 Nigerian engineers worked alongside SSTL engineers in Guildford to assemble the 100kg NigeriaSat-X satellite.

Dr S O Mohammed, the head of NASRDA, commented: “NigeriaSat-2 will significantly boost African capabilities for remote sensing applications, specifically for natural resource management.

“This high resolution satellite will also greatly enhance image data available to the Disaster Monitoring Constellation. Through a comprehensive training programme, Nigerian engineers have worked on the design and build of NigeriaSat-X, benefiting Nigeria’s growing space industry and inspiring development of new technologies.”
BBC| 8/21/2011| BBC|

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