The Senate confirmed Dr. Matthew Olamide Adepoju’s appointment as the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) on Tuesday, July 9.
NATURENEX reports that the Senate’s decision followed the recommendation of the Committee on Science and Technology, which had screened the nominee.
The report was presented by Senator Aminu Iya Abass (Adamawa Central), Chairman of the Committee.
President Bola Tinubu nominated Adepoju for the position in May 2024, succeeding Halilu Ahmad Shaba, who served as CEO of NASRDA from 2021 to May 2024.
Dr. Adepoju’s educational background includes a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PgD) in City and Urban, Community, and Regional Planning from the University of Lagos, a Master of Science (M.Sc) in Geographic Information Science from the University of Nottingham, UK, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Geographic Information Science from the University of Leicester, UK.
Adepoju has a 15-year career at NASRDA, where he has held various significant roles. He began as Chief Research Officer (2009-2013), then served as Head of Cadastral Mapping and Urban Space Applications (2009-2014), and later as Deputy Director (2014-2022). He was Acting Director (2021-2023) and then Director (2021-2024).
Additionally, Adepoju was President of the Geoinformation Society of Nigeria from 2017 to 2022. As a space scientist, he has published over 20 research papers covering multidisciplinary topics such as urban and regional planning, geographic information science, remote sensing, environment, disasters, climate change, crime, and criminality.
