NASA has delayed putting astronauts back on the moon until 2025 at the earliest, missing the deadline set by the Trump administration.
The space agency had been aiming for 2024 for the first moon landing by astronauts in a half-century.
In announcing the delay, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Congress did not provide enough money to develop a landing system for its Artemis moon program and more money is needed for its Orion capsule.
In addition, a legal challenge by Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, stalled work for months on the Starship lunar landing system under development by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Officials said technology for new spacesuits also needs to ramp up, before astronauts can return to the moon.
NASA is still targeting next February for the first test flight of its moon rocket, the Space Launch System, or SLS, with an Orion capsule. No one will be on board. Instead, astronauts will strap in for the second Artemis flight, flying beyond the moon but not landing in 2024, a year later than planned. That would bump the moon landing to at least 2025, according to Nelson.
“The human landing system is a crucial part of our work to get the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface, and we are getting geared up to go,” Nelson told reporters. “NASA is committed to help restore America’s standing in the world.”
Nelson made note of China’s ambitious and aggressive space program, and warned it could overtake the U.S. in lunar exploration.
NASA’s last moon landing by astronauts occurred during Apollo 17 in 1972. Altogether, 12 men explored the lunar surface.
During a National Space Council meeting in 2019, Vice President Mike Pence called for landing astronauts on the moon within five years “by any means necessary.” NASA had been shooting for a lunar landing in 2028, and pushing it up by four years was considered at the time exceedingly ambitious, if not improbable.
Congress will need to increase funding, beginning with the 2023 budget, in order for NASA to have private companies competing for the planned 10 or more moon landings by astronauts, Nelson said.
The space agency also is requesting a bigger budget for its Orion capsules, from $6.7 billion to $9.3 billion, citing delays during the coronavirus pandemic and storm damage to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, the main manufacturing site for SLS and Orion. Development costs for the rocket through the first Artemis flight next year stand at $11 billion.
Vice President Kamala Harris will convene her first National Space Council meeting, as its chair, on Dec. 1. Nelson said he updated her on the latest schedule and costs during their visit to Maryland’s Goddard Space Flight Center on Friday.
Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace has added another feather to its cap by clinching the Humanitarian Airline 2021 Award at the Aviators Africa Tower Awards, which held recently at Radisson Blu Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria’s South-west.
This is as the Chairman of the airline, Allen Onyema, also received the Changemaker Recognition Award- Breaking Grounds.
According to the organisers, Air Peace got the Humanitarian Award following its many social investments which have impacted Nigerians in various ways, especially the deployment of aircraft for rescue flights during lockdown last year, corporate philanthropy, massive employment, and other social impact initiatives.
Onyema was chosen for the Change maker Recognition Award because of his successful strides in advancing Nigeria’s aviation industry, including being the launch customer of the Embraer 195-E2 airplanes in the whole of Africa.
Receiving the double awards, the Chief Operating Officer, Air Peace, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, who represented Allen Onyema, thanked the organisers of Aviators Africa and dedicated the awards to Nigerians.
Speaking on behalf of the Air Peace Chairman, Mrs. Olajide said, “I feel abundantly honoured today with these prestigious Change maker Recognition and Humanitarian Awards for 2021.
“Aviation is an industry I ventured into solely to empower the critical mass of unemployed Nigerians, not to profiteer. This is what motivates me to aim higher and achieve more. When I think about the people in my employ and the challenge of unemployment in Nigeria, I’m propelled to make more giant strides.”
The Aviators Africa Tower Awards is designed as an event to recognise, celebrate, and honour excellence as well as sustainability within the African Aviation space. It seeks to appreciate organisations and acknowledge personalities and brands, which have contributed enormously to the growth of African Aviation.
Strong indications have emerged that university workers under the aegis of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions will today begin a three-day nationwide protest over the sharing formula for the N22.1 billion earned allowance promised by the federal government.
The federal government had pledged to pay a total of N22.17 billion naira for staff members of federal universities.
However, the sharing formula for the money meant for members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, SSANU and NASU has been generating controversies.
Consequently, the university workers will protest from today to Friday. The directive to begin the protest was contained in a circular addressed to all branch chairmen of NASU and SSANU.
Signed by NASU’s Secretary General, Peters Adeyemi; and SSANU’s National President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the circular partly reads, “The National Joint Action committee of NASU and SSANU held a zoom meeting on Monday November 8, 2021 to review the latest development in our universities and inter university centres.
“We have decided that all our branches should mandatorily call a general meeting of NASU and SSANU on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 and from there commence a three-day protest from Wednesday, November 10, 2021 to Friday, November 12, 2021.
“The protest should be centred on the proposed provocative sharing formula to be used for the next tranche of N22.17 billion to be released by the Federal government at the rate of 75 percent to academic and 25 percent to non-teaching staff.
“It should also be centred on the refusal of the Federal government to pay the arrears of the minimum wage consequential agreement as at the last meeting with the Federal Government on August 26, 2021.”
But the leadership asked that the protest should be within the campuses and that each branch should determine the activities that will be carried out on each day of the protest.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, says the Federal Government and state governments are designing an ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ initiative to encourage the establishment of urban farms and small home gardens as part of other efforts to address malnutrition and related challenges in the country.
Osinbajo stated this earlier in the week at a meeting on nutrition attended by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Mrs Amina Mohammed, governors, representatives of development partners including UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, amongst others.
According to a statement by the VP’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, the plan for ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ is one of three major plans arising from the UN-backed Food Systems Dialogues, to advance the fight against malnutrition.
The statement was titled, ‘Nigeria Plans ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ To Counter Malnutrition’.
Osinbajo was quoted as saying, “There are practical steps that can be taken by the States and Federal Government in the next 12 months.
“I think that some of the suggestions are important, especially those that have come from the UN Food System Dialogue.”
“States and the FGN will promote what the convener has described as ‘Operation Feed Yourself’. This is more of the establishment of urban farms and homestead gardens.
This is simply something that we think should be a mass appeal to citizens in the states, and the encouragement we can give them so that individuals and schools develop their own farms or homestead gardens.
“This obviously not only helps individuals and families but the excess can be sold to others and generally improve food security.
“The establishment of Agribusiness Investment Hubs or farm settlements or farm estates or any variety of those kinds of integrated farming arrangements will improve food and nutrition security.
What we are recommending is the sort of model that Oyo State has or any of the variety that States have. That sort is obviously recommended because of the way that it is structured and the obviously good result that they have been getting”.
The Victory Alumni Association Worldwide of Victory Primary School in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State has donated an audio-visual library and a sick bay to its alma mater.
Alumni, Andrew Agenmonmen, who was a student of class 1982 of the school, donated the facility on behalf of the association at the launch of the audio-visual library, sick bay and the Dame Agatha Agenmonmen 2021 annual prize for mathematics quiz for primary school pupils in Benin City.
While Speaking at the inauguration of the facility, Agenmonmen said the gesture was to invest in the future, adding that a better foundation laid for pupils would go a long way to determine what they become in time to come.
He, therefore, urged other alumni associations across the state to emulate the Victory Alumni Association and contribute to the transformation of education in the state and Nigeria at large.
Narrating how the idea was conceived, he said: “During the children’s day celebration, we were invited by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and it was decided that every primary school should have a sick bay and a library.
“So, I took the message back to my alumni association, and today, I am grateful we are inaugurating this project. This effort is to develop the children because they have a better future. It is an investment for scientific discovery, good healthcare, among others, for the future.”
He stressed the importance of teachers in the development of the society, noting that: “Teachers are undervalued and underrated professionals in our society.
“The other event I am very proud of today is that I am what I am because of teachers. They contribute to the success of every student. To recognize the efforts of teachers, we have created a special award in honour of Dame Agenmonmen, the number one teacher in my life; and this will be an annual event.”
The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ozavize Salami, on her part, commended the alumni association for the support, just as she said the initiative was in line with what the Edo State Government is doing under the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST) programme to support teaching and learning.
Salami, represented by Jerry Ogah, an official of the board, said: “We are extremely excited that the alumni have decided to support us. As we know, teaching and learning in schools is not what we will leave for the government alone.”
The Head of Local Government Administration and acting chairman of Oredo LGA, Kessignton Osifo, in his remarks, said: “This is a paradigm shift and it is in our vision for the transformation of education in Edo State which is the EdoBEST.”
Earlier, Osaga Mercy expressed gratitude to the alumni for contributing to the development of the school.
Meanwhile, schools that won the mathematics quiz competition conducted among public primary school pupils in Oredo LGA are Government Model Primary School with a cash prize of N30,000, while Community Primary School (N20,000) and Victory Primary School (N10,000) came second and third position, respectively.
The Consul-General, Consulate of Brazil, Lagos, Ambassador Francisco Soare Luz, has called on stakeholders in the Nigeria-Brazillian bilateral relationship to harness the opportunities provided for trade, cultural and educational agreements, for the benefits of citizens.
The Envoy also appealed to students of the Lagos State University (LASU) to take advantage of scholarship opportunities offered by the South American country to further their studies at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Speaking at the 2021 annual lecture of the LASU Centre for AfroBrazillian Studies (LASUCAS) titled ‘Brazil/Nigeria: Historical Relations and Future Opportunities’ recently, Luz highlighted the scholarship possibilities in Brazil for eligible Nigerians.
“In the education sector, there is an agreement between Nigeria and Brazil which allows Nigerian students to come to Brazil on scholarship and study for either undergraduate or postgraduate courses,” he said.
The programme for undergraduate is PEC-G, while that of postgraduate is PEC-PG. The Programme for Partner Undergraduate Students (PEC-G, in the portuguese acronym) is a cooperation programme between Brazil and countries in Africa, Latin America and Caribbean.
The ambassador said its goal is to give young students from these countries an opportunity to undertake their full undergraduate studies in Brazilian universities.
He added that leveraging on these opportunities would help to actualise the potential of development in the countries.
The chairman of the occasion, Chief Teju Philips, affirmed that continuous engagement between Nigeria and Brazil would usher in sustainable growth and development, with a promise to champion the effort.
In her remarks, the Vice- Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said the university would not only be instrumental to the promotion of Brazilian studies, but would become the authority in the study of subjects around Brazil in Africa.
“LASU was established, among other objectives, to serve as a creative custodian, promoter and propagator of the state’s social and cultural heritage and other resources. Therefore, LASUCAS was established to foster this objective of the university.
“The main objective of the centre is to engage in and promote in-depth research on the Brazilian cultural, archaeological and architectural relics in Lagos Statep in particular and Nigeria in general.
It is also aimed at bringing scholars, intellectuals and policy makers from Brazil and other countries to Nigeria providing them with an enabling environment in which to pursue their academic research on issues.”
She expressed hope that the centre will grow to become an authority and a recognised voice on Afrobrazilian issues and one of the international faces of the institution.
The Director of the Centre, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof. Tayo Ajayi, said the lecture was part of the centre’s efforts to improve relationship between Nigeria and Brazil, while appealing to the students to take advantage of the scholarship offered by Brazil by enrolling for short programmes in the centre.
I have just called Professor Chukwuma Soludo and congratulated him on being declared the winner of the Anambra State governorship elections, 2021. I wished him well and prayed for his success.
Let me also use this opportunity to congratulate all the men and women who contested our dear state’s governorship this year. You all have shown a determination to see that Anambra is better. It was an honour to run this race with you.
Two years ago, I decided to go into active partisan politics with a number of objectives in mind.
First, to use Anambra to set an example of excellence in governance. The second was to unify Anambra and Ala Igbo around a shared vision of greatness. The third was to inspire more professionals to go into politics. I believe that attainment of these would go a long way in changing the story of black men and women in this world for the better.
Pulled by the vision of a better and brighter Anambra, we set out on the quest for governorship, resolute on taking revolutionary steps to address the decay and decline in security, infrastructure, education, healthcare, the environment, and all other social systems meant to serve the people.
As laid out in our Ka Anambra Chawapu Manifesto, we planned to transform Anambra into the most competitive sub-national economy in Nigeria by opening up public, social, and commercial spaces leveraging on the strength of our youth and women. Ultimately, to make Anambra the pride of Nigeria.
Given where we started and where we are today, we consider ourselves winners. Our Ka Anambra Chawapu message has permeated the consciousness of Ndi Anambra, and the nation at large. It is the strongest message that has come out of Anambra 2021, and it continues to beat in the hearts of Ndi Igbo.
On unifying Ala Igbo, I believe that every Igbo person now understands that they have a voice in me because I will forever speak in the interest of the Igbo Nation and the rest of the marginalised and forgotten in Nigeria.
During this journey, especially in the last months, I have met many professionals who have been inspired into politics by our message and asked me how I got to this level in my first attempt. I urge them to keep the faith. Don’t ever let the candle that has been lit in you dim. Our country needs your active participation in her affairs.
We documented our grand vision for a brighter and better Anambra and presented it to our people with the energy to implement it. Though we may not have the opportunity in the immediate to get it started, we will be holding the government in power accountable to ensure that the welfare of the people is foremost in their actions at all times.
I acknowledge that we could not have done this alone. I am a child of Grace. I thank the Almighty God who chose me for this mission for His abundant mercies and love.
I thank all the courageous men and women who first believed in me, many of them without knowing me well. You are the heroes of our Ka Anambra Chawapu Movement. I also thank everyone who believed, even without meeting me, who heard our message and came out in full support.
I am grateful to every single person who joined our movement and contributed in one way or the other.
The thousands who showed us so much love, from youths and women in the grassroot, to those in the diaspora, to the Non-Indigenes, various church groups across all denominations, market women, civil servants, artisans, and many more.
Thank you for your prayers, your material, financial, and intellectual contributions. May the Lord reward you abundantly.
I thank the leaders and pillars of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the national (especially the PDP Governors), state and ward levels who stood by us and worked tirelessly to win the mandate of Ndi Anambra. I appreciate your amazing support and friendship.
Most importantly, I thank the entire Ndi Anambra – home and abroad. The openness, love, and enthusiasm with which you received us, especially as we campaigned across the state, is one that my wife, my running mate and I will cherish forever.
This election was fraught with a lot of short-comings on the part of various government institutions.
The security agencies failed to provide a peaceful environment for campaigns to hold. On election day, they were absent from many polling centres leading to elections not holding or held in situations that allowed for chaos and fraud.
The national electoral commission presented untrained and poorly trained staff who could not operate the voting machines in many places. They failed woefully in providing logistical support for their staff and so elections started very late in many places and did not hold in many others.
The use of government funds and resources to corrupt, coerce, and intimidate voters, PDP party agents, and electoral officials was a major factor in determining the outcome of this election.
All of these led to the disenfranchisement of the greater percentage of voters and staining the course of democracy. I will be dedicating time to champion the positive change we need to ensure that future elections are truly free and fair and that the will of the electorate prevails.
Denominational politics was also a factor. We need to do a lot more to ensure that competence is never sacrificed on this altar, and that democracy is practiced in line with its truest tenets.
In all, I am more determined to working for a better future for our children by remaining in active politics and rebuilding our party to be more united and more robust for those who come after us. Ka Anambra Chawapu.
May God bless you all and bless Anambra State.
Thank you.
Valentine Ozigbo
Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra 2021
The Federal Government is organising the Nigeria International Partnership Forum (NIPF), a high-level event to accompany and strengthen Nigeria’s participation in the Paris Peace Forum.
The one-day NIPF will bring together the Nigerian and French governments and private sectors in wide-ranging discussions focused on security, regional stability, trade and industrialization. It aims to attract investment to Nigeria, and bridge existing infrastructure gaps.
the Summit in France, aimed to attract investment to Nigeria, and bridge existing infrastructure gaps, the statement stated.
Additionally, it would spotlight Nigeria’s immense trade and investment opportunities, reset false and distorted narratives about Nigeria, and shed light on the efforts, initiatives and successes achieved in both the public and the private sectors, as the country charted a trajectory of recovery from the COVID-19 induced global economic downturn.
Speakers and panelists at the NIPF, included top Nigerian and French government functionaries, ministers and heads of MDAs as well as Nigerian and French private sector operators.
Other participants included the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations (UN); Directors General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and French Development Agency; Presidents of the African Development Bank and African Export Import Bank; the French Minister of Foreign Trade and Economy; and the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Munguno (rtd).
The West African Power Pool (WAPP) North Core Project, a transmission line that will link Nigeria to three countries, will be completed in 2023, Chairman, Executive Board of the regional body, Dr. Sule Abdulaziz, has said.
Abdulaziz, who is also the Acting Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), made this known at the 52nd WAPP executive board meeting which took place as part of the 16th Session of the organisation’s general assembly in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
While highlighting key project implementation updates, the WAPP head said that the scheme which seeks to interconnect Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin was at the implementation phase with the procurement process underway.
The project, he said, is expected to be completed by 2023 and is part of efforts of the WAPP to integrate the power systems of West African countries by delivering priority projects, which would ensure that all 14 countries in the mainland are eventually interconnected.
Other projects undertaken within the West African Sub-region he added, include the construction of the 330kV Volta (Ghana) to Lome (Togo) – Sakété (Benin) interconnection line that has been completed and will soon be energised and the WAPP Cote d’Ivoire – Sierra Leone – Guinea (CLSG) line also to be commissioned soon.
He noted that WAPP has continued to make giant strides towards the effective operationalisation of the regional electricity scheme by continuing to harmonise the market rules and agreement by market participants on regulatory issues.
In his comments, Secretary-General of WAPP, Mr. Siengui Appolinaire KI, at the hybrid meeting urged members to be resiliencs despite the several challenges.
“We must at all costs continue our journey towards the ultimate goal of our institution, which is the implementation of a competitive regional electricity market. We absolutely must redouble our efforts to this end, the goal being more than ever within reach,” he said.
He noted that new rotating members of the executive council, who will have to sit for the next two years and a new vice-chairman would be elected, as the former vice Chairman, Mr. Hamidou Traore had been re-designated.
Earlier, while welcoming participants to the meeting, Mr. Ahmed Coulibaly, the Director-General of Sonabel, the power firm hosting the meeting, called for more commitments.
“In our sub-region, the stakes in the electricity sector are so high that we must rigorously ensure that the decisions are implemented on time,” he maintained.
Taiwanese officials have said the island faces millions of cyberattacks every month, with around half of them believed to originate from China.
Taiwan’s government agencies face around five million cyber-attacks and probes a day, an official said Wednesday, as a report warned of increasing Chinese cyberwarfare targeting the self-ruled island.
Speaking in parliament, cyber security department director Chien Hung-wei said Taiwan’s government network faces “five million attacks and scans a day”.
A scan in cyber security refers to an attempt to locate weaknesses in a server.
“We are strengthening the government’s defensive measures and collecting relevant data for analysis in a bid to stop the attacks when they are initiated,” Chien told lawmakers.
Taipei has accused Beijing of ramping up cyberattacks since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who views the island as a sovereign nation.
Beijing views democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if necessary.
The ministry’s information security and protection centre detected and handled around 1.4 billion “anomalies” from 2019 to August 2021 to prevent potential hacking, according to the report.
In July, Taiwan’s police launched an investigation after the Line messaging app reported abnormal account activities to the authorities.
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