Nigerian technology engineers have
taken a shot at the recently announced Nigerian Air Force, NAF, locally made
drone, Tsaigumi, saying it’s a shame the whereabouts of Dapchi girls remains a
mystery while a drone launched by the president is lying idle. Some of the
engineers said that a great country like Nigeria should be technologically
ahead instead of throwing money on what primary school student’s abroad use as
practicals. Drones They felt that bringing the president of the most populous
black nation in the world to launch a drone that cannot give security details
of young school girls abducted since last week was not only belittling but
appeared like defrauding the country. NAF drone The Nigerian Air Force,NAF,
inducted the first indigenous operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
nicknamed, Tsaigumi on 15 February 2018. The Tsaigumi UAV, which was produced
by NAF Aerospace Engineers in collaboration with UAVision of Portugal, is said
to have the capability to do Intelligence Surveillance and Recognisance (ISR)
operations in land and sea domains. It could also be used for policing
operations, disaster management, convoy protection, maritime patrol, pipeline
and power line monitoring as well as mapping and border patrol duties. The
Tsaigumi according to NAF, could be used for search and rescue, coastal
monitoring and patrol of Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The UAV, which is
capable of day and night operations, has an operational endurance in excess of
10 hours, a service ceiling of 15,000 feet and a mission radius of 100km. It
has a maximum take-off weight of 95kg and its payload is an electro-optic and
infra-red camera system. Perhaps, NAF wants Tsaigunmi to be for Nigeria what
Aerolight is to Isreal. A close range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed
and manufactured in 2003 by Israel-based Aeronautics Defence Systems for the
Israel Air Force and the US Navy. Aerolight can perform training, intelligence,
surveillance, target acquisition, gunfire adjustments and reconnaissance
missions. It can acquire real time data and transmit it to the ground control
station (GCS) through a satellite communication data link. It can also execute
counter terror attacks, law enforcement missions and strategic facilities
security operations. Flying at a maximum altitude of 10,000ft, the UAV can
provide its operators with real time intelligence data by performing target
acquisition and reconnaissance operations over a large area. However, Nigerian
tech engineers say while Israel is known for military sophistication which the
Aerolight may have contributed to, the Tsaigumi has not fulfilled its mission
if about 110 school girls are kidnapped in Yobe over one week, without their
whereabouts known. Last week, insurgents believed to be a faction of Boko
Haram, invaded the federal government college, Dapchi, Yobe state and allegedly
took away about 110 girls whose whereabouts are still unknown. Isreali
Aerolight Although, the Air Force said it has deployed assets, launched day and
night searches, some engineers believe that with a proper security drone, the
result should have been instant. A renowned engineer and Executive Director,
Aflon Digital Institute, Abuja, Dr Akin Fapohunda, said time has come for
Nigeria to think of investing on only technologies that would solve its problems.
He said: “If we have up to 100 Chibok girls still missing and now some Dapchi
girls have been kidnapped with the numbers and whereabouts still a confusion,
what is the benefit of the NAF locally made drone?. “When it was launched, I
was so ashamed and those who have chosen a career in sycophancy attacked me
when I asked what makes it local or home grown?. If all the components were
imported, with no evidence of any local value addition, what are we talking
about? Fapohunda described it as “a waste of national emotions to bring out a
whole President to commission a contraption that you and I can do in our car
garage”. No purpose He threatened to share a website where drone components
could be ordered, along with a coupling manual. Tsaigumi 3: President Buhari
with L-R: Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Minister of Science
and technology Dr Ogbonaya Onu, Minister of Defence Monsur Dan Ali, Minister of
State Avition Hadi Sirika, Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung and
Governor of Kaduna State H.E. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai during the Induction of
First Locally Made Nigerian Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Tsaigumi) in
Kaduna State on 15th Feb 2018 He argued that there were many purposeful things
the NAF could have embarked on which would be of national pride for the
Commander in Chief to stand to take photos that would be seen round the world
but not a drone he described as having no purpose. “So, we now have one drone,
for what use? To locate Herdsmen as they kill in Benue or Zamfara? Or locate
the Chibok, Dapchi girls, what exact purpose has it served now that we need
it?” He queried. Nanotech components Continuing, he said, “I wished the
Nigerian Air Force was showcasing a full production facility for the making of
assorted Armoured Security Vehicles, ASVs for various purposes or selected
Physics and IT Department in about three Nigerian Universities for the mass
production of nanotechnology components. “I wished they were at the state of
demonstrating problem solving proof of concepts for practical adoption by
Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC or NIPOST in the least? “But merely placing
just one dingy contraption on the table for the Commander in Chief to
commission really demoralised me. “Even if what excites Nigerians is the made in
Nigeria tag, where is the made in Nigeria cassava bread of Obasanjo? Where is
the made in Nigeria car of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu? “Let the gullible wake up from
slumber. We are increasingly becoming the butts of jokes across the world. “How
do people like me show my face to the white boys who were my classmates in the
USA in 1978? I just feel so small intellectually, as the Nigerian condition has
been an albatross pulling us down” he added. Another engineer and former
President of Nigerian Internet Group, NIG, Engr Adebayo Banjo described the
idea of the drone as “chasing nebulous shadows”. He said there are a lot of
Nigerians blazing the trails in such technologies with personal finances that
government should encourage rather than yielding to what he described as “empty
initiative. “Of what effect has the so-called Black Man Satellite of Nigeria,
been? Just for some blokes to misapply resources and divert attention. And for
us the followers, time to kill this misdirected patriotism that has no
foundation in credible value addition to society. “I don’t want to mention
names, but there’s a young man who lives in Ikoyi and runs his late father’s
well known construction company and has, to my knowledge, built two fixed wing
aircrafts, one from a kit, the other from design drawings and two functional
helicopters. All four aircrafts can carry two people. There are many Nigerians
across the country, who have built small drones and very large remote
controlled aircrafts. Abroad, this is not an issue as children make these types
of drones and aircrafts every day. I just wonder what interests these exposures
serve, when you reason that young children abroad and other Nigerians can do
this and are doing it. “Infact, if such a device was in anyway strategic to the
armed forces, why would they publicise it”? He queried. Another Engr, Wunmi
Hassan, said that drones are not big deals since in advanced economies, JSS
students are producing drones as practical school works. She recalled that
during her recent visit to Mercy Academy in Kentucky, USA, October 2017, JSS
and SSS students of the academy were producing solid and functional drones as
practical works and didn’t see why the NAF plane should attract a whole
president, at launch.
Nigerian technology
engineers have taken a shot at the recently announced Nigerian Air
Force, NAF, locally made drone, Tsaigumi, saying it’s a shame the
whereabouts of Dapchi girls remains a mystery while a drone launched by
the president is lying idle.
Some of the engineers said that a great country like Nigeria should be
technologically ahead instead of throwing money on what primary school
student’s abroad use as practicals.
Drones
They felt that bringing the president of the most populous black nation
in the world to launch a drone that cannot give security details of
young school girls abducted since last week was not only belittling but
appeared like defrauding the country.
NAF drone
The Nigerian Air Force,NAF, inducted the first indigenous operational
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) nicknamed, Tsaigumi on 15 February 2018.
The Tsaigumi UAV, which was produced by NAF Aerospace Engineers in
collaboration with UAVision of Portugal, is said to have the capability
to do Intelligence Surveillance and Recognisance (ISR) operations in
land and sea domains.
It could also be used for policing operations, disaster management,
convoy protection, maritime patrol, pipeline and power line monitoring
as well as mapping and border patrol duties.
The Tsaigumi according to NAF, could be used for search and rescue,
coastal monitoring and patrol of Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The
UAV, which is capable of day and night operations, has an operational
endurance in excess of 10 hours, a service ceiling of 15,000 feet and a
mission radius of 100km. It has a maximum take-off weight of 95kg and
its payload is an electro-optic and infra-red camera system.
Perhaps, NAF wants Tsaigunmi to be for Nigeria what Aerolight is to
Isreal. A close range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed and
manufactured in 2003 by Israel-based Aeronautics Defence Systems for the
Israel Air Force and the US Navy. Aerolight can perform training,
intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, gunfire adjustments and
reconnaissance missions. It can acquire real time data and transmit it
to the ground control station (GCS) through a satellite communication
data link.
It can also execute counter terror attacks, law enforcement missions and
strategic facilities security operations. Flying at a maximum altitude
of 10,000ft, the UAV can provide its operators with real time
intelligence data by performing target acquisition and reconnaissance
operations over a large area.
However, Nigerian tech engineers say while Israel is known for military
sophistication which the Aerolight may have contributed to, the Tsaigumi
has not fulfilled its mission if about 110 school girls are kidnapped
in Yobe over one week, without their whereabouts known.
Last week, insurgents believed to be a faction of Boko Haram, invaded
the federal government college, Dapchi, Yobe state and allegedly took
away about 110 girls whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Isreali Aerolight
Although, the Air Force said it has deployed assets, launched day and
night searches, some engineers believe that with a proper security
drone, the result should have been instant.
A renowned engineer and Executive Director, Aflon Digital Institute,
Abuja, Dr Akin Fapohunda, said time has come for Nigeria to think of
investing on only technologies that would solve its problems.
He said: “If we have up to 100 Chibok girls still missing and now some
Dapchi girls have been kidnapped with the numbers and whereabouts still a
confusion, what is the benefit of the NAF locally made drone?.
“When it was launched, I was so ashamed and those who have chosen a
career in sycophancy attacked me when I asked what makes it local or
home grown?. If all the components were imported, with no evidence of
any local value addition, what are we talking about?
Fapohunda described it as “a waste of national emotions to bring out a
whole President to commission a contraption that you and I can do in our
car garage”.
No purpose
He threatened to share a website where drone components could be
ordered, along with a coupling manual.
Tsaigumi 3: President Buhari with L-R: Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal
Sadique Abubakar, Minister of Science and technology Dr Ogbonaya Onu,
Minister of Defence Monsur Dan Ali, Minister of State Avition Hadi
Sirika, Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung and Governor of
Kaduna State H.E. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai during the Induction of First
Locally Made Nigerian Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Tsaigumi) in
Kaduna State on 15th Feb 2018
He argued that there were many purposeful things the NAF could have
embarked on which would be of national pride for the Commander in Chief
to stand to take photos that would be seen round the world but not a
drone he described as having no purpose.
“So, we now have one drone, for what use? To locate Herdsmen as they
kill in Benue or Zamfara? Or locate the Chibok, Dapchi girls, what exact
purpose has it served now that we need it?” He queried.
Nanotech components
Continuing, he said, “I wished the Nigerian Air Force was showcasing a
full production facility for the making of assorted Armoured Security
Vehicles, ASVs for various purposes or selected Physics and IT
Department in about three Nigerian Universities for the mass production
of nanotechnology components.
“I wished they were at the state of demonstrating problem solving proof
of concepts for practical adoption by Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC or
NIPOST in the least?
“But merely placing just one dingy contraption on the table for the
Commander in Chief to commission really demoralised me.
“Even if what excites Nigerians is the made in Nigeria tag, where is the
made in Nigeria cassava bread of Obasanjo? Where is the made in Nigeria
car of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu?
“Let the gullible wake up from slumber. We are increasingly becoming the
butts of jokes across the world.
“How do people like me show my face to the white boys who were my
classmates in the USA in 1978? I just feel so small intellectually, as
the Nigerian condition has been an albatross pulling us down” he added.
Another engineer and former President of Nigerian Internet Group, NIG,
Engr Adebayo Banjo described the idea of the drone as “chasing nebulous
shadows”.
He said there are a lot of Nigerians blazing the trails in such
technologies with personal finances that government should encourage
rather than yielding to what he described as “empty initiative.
“Of what effect has the so-called Black Man Satellite of Nigeria, been?
Just for some blokes to misapply resources and divert attention. And for
us the followers, time to kill this misdirected patriotism that has no
foundation in credible value addition to society.
“I don’t want to mention names, but there’s a young man who lives in
Ikoyi and runs his late father’s well known construction company and
has, to my knowledge, built two fixed wing aircrafts, one from a kit,
the other from design drawings and two functional helicopters. All four
aircrafts can carry two people. There are many Nigerians across the
country, who have built small drones and very large remote controlled
aircrafts. Abroad, this is not an issue as children make these types of
drones and aircrafts every day. I just wonder what interests these
exposures serve, when you reason that young children abroad and other
Nigerians can do this and are doing it.
“Infact, if such a device was in anyway strategic to the armed forces,
why would they publicise it”? He queried.
Another Engr, Wunmi Hassan, said that drones are not big deals since in
advanced economies, JSS students are producing drones as practical
school works.
She recalled that during her recent visit to Mercy Academy in Kentucky,
USA, October 2017, JSS and SSS students of the academy were producing
solid and functional drones as practical works and didn’t see why the
NAF plane should attract a whole president, at launch.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/drone-tech-engineers-question-benefit-naf-drone/
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/drone-tech-engineers-question-benefit-naf-drone/
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