How two Nigerian presidents launched first made-in-Nigeria drone twice

Many were taken aback when Nigerian government announced on Thursday, February 15, that it has built the country’s first indigenously made drone. But, a check on records shows ex-president Jonathan had also launched one four years ago on December 17, 2013.

According to a tweet by President Buhari, this is the first indigenously built Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

The new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone was named “TSAIGUMI”, while the old one was named “GULMA”. Both were said to have been made by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

Ex-Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku said during the launch of GULMA: “Although the UAV was a brainchild of the Nigerian Air Force, it is important that other services and security agencies incorporate it into their operations...”

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However, GULMA and TSAIGUMI shared a characteristic which is they were not flown during their launch. This raised a question about the effectiveness of the device in performing its functions.

Both GULMA and TSAIGUMI serve the same purpose

Both Jonathan and president Buhari hinted that the devices would be deployed in fighting Boko Haram insurgents.

Buhari said: "From the military perspective, the added capacity for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance provided by the TSAIGUMI will boost ongoing and future security operations...."

Four years ago, ex-president Jonathan explained the importance of the UAV drone: “It is also rapidly becoming an important tool in news coverage, environmental monitoring, and oil and gas exploration. Considering the potential impact of its benefit and versatility, I cannot but say how proud I am of the men and women of our Armed Forces.”

Continuity in government – one thing Nigeria don’t have as a country

One major developmental problem with Nigeria is lack of continuity in governance. Every administration aimed at scoring a landmark achievement to his name.

This practice has led to a situation where one project is launched many times by different governments in the country. List of such projects includes Second Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Abuja-Kaduna Railway.

Manbilla Project and Ajaokuta Steel company are important projects that more than two different administrations have launched to show they are working.

How two Nigerian presidents launched first made-in-Nigeria drone twice

Many were taken aback when Nigerian government announced on Thursday, February 15, that it has built the country’s first indigenously made drone. But, a check on records shows ex-president Jonathan had also launched one four years ago on December 17, 2013.

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