Tinubu nominates tax czar, Oyedele, as minister of state for finance

Orders immediate release of funds for space assets maintenance

STEPHEN GBADAMOSI, IBADAN

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Mr Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite.

Uzoka-Anite will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the minister of state, her third portfolio in the administration.

According to Special Adviser, Media to the President, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Tuesday, “President Tinubu has, today, conveyed the nomination of Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy and Finance. “He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in Applied Accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School,” Onanuga said.

In another development, President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate release of approved funds for maintenance of the country’s space assets in line with the National Space Policy and Programme.

Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, gave the directive on Tuesday during the first meeting of the National Space Council held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“I hereby direct that the cost of the implementation of the revised 25-year roadmap for the implementation of the national space policy be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval.

” Nigeria will not watch the new frontier unfold from the sideline.

“We will participate, we will compete, we will contribute. Our space ambitions must be anchored in outcomes, accountability and national value.

“We must build a programme that serves the farmer in the field, the teacher in the classroom, the entrepreneur in the market, the soldier on duty, the researcher in the laboratory.

“This is how a nation turns altitude into advantage,” he said

Tinubu reiterated his administration’s commitment to the realisation of Nigeria’s space policy and programme as enshrined in the revised 25-year roadmap for space development.

He assured that his administration, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, is committed to developing the society “by engaging relevant human resources for the socio-economic improvement of the nation.

“We shall be steadfast in providing the required support to the success of the space programme as well as relevant resources needed for its growth and the successful realisation of the mandate of the nation’s space agency,” he added.

The president noted that his administration’s investments in the sector is prompted by the opportunities in outer space.

According to him, outer space is a new frontier for human development, a stimulus for increased technological advancement and economic diversification.

He added that outer space provides “a unique challenge and platform for effective exploration and exploitation of the nation’s natural resources as well as the protection of its environment.

” Space technology remains the foundation for cyber security and a vibrant digital economy. The space economy is rapidly growing and it’s expected to exceed 1 trillion dollars by 2040.

” When we invest in space, we are not funding a distant dream.

“We are funding precision in agriculture and security in our borders; we are funding early warning systems against floods and fires, smarter cities, safer skies, stronger communications and a digital economy that can compete with the best in the world.

” We are funding the confidence of a nation that refuses to be trapped by the limits of yesterday,” he said

Tinubu urged the space agency to be alive to its mandate of ensuring that space assets and resources over Nigeria are used responsibly.

He directed the agency to “employ all legally available means to enforce the space regulation and spectrum management framework for a secure utilisation of space assets and resources over Nigeria as provided in the NASDRA Act 2010.

“I also direct all MDAs, stakeholders and the private sector to comply with the space regulatory framework.

” This directive also includes timely release of all approved funds for this purpose by the Federal Ministry of Finance,” the President further stated.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Kingsley Udeh, described the National Space Council meeting chaired by the Vice-President, on behalf the President, as historic.

He said the outcome of the meeting which he described as ” landmark ” will improve  Nigeria’s space industry and ecosystem.

 Udeh disclosed that the meeting approved the “Conditions of Service and Staff Regulation” of the Nigerian Space Research and Development Agency to align with international best practices.

He explained that the development is intended to give those working in the space industry a competitive level of remuneration.

This, according to him, will  ensure that Nigerian experts in the space industry and ecosystem do not leave the country but are retained to maintain and sustain the nation’s space programme.

“Another resolution passed by the Council is to set up a working group of space experts to work on the revised Nigeria 25-year space programme roadmap,” the Minister disclosed.

He said members of the working group  included; the Nigerian Space Research and Development Agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Defence Space Agency, the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT), as well as other stakeholders in the Nigerian space ecosystem.

He also appreciated the council for approving the development and operationalisation of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Space Centre in Epe.

According to him, the centre would provide Nigeria with the capacity to launch satellites into orbit, while reducing dependence on foreign expertise not only to host the satellites but also to maintain them.

The Director-General of NASRDA, Dr Matthew Adepoju,  said  President Tinubu had approved the procurement process for four new satellites.

He explained that three of the satellites are optical observation platforms, while one is a Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite capable of capturing images day and night.

According to him, it will significantly boost national security, maritime surveillance, agriculture and the blue economy.