So, I just read this report from PUNCH NEWSPAPERS about the true state of NigComSat-1R, one of Nigeria’s satellite hovering above in space.
The article starts off by declaring: “Four years after it was launched into the orbit, Nigeria’s communication satellite, NigComSat-1R, has yet to deepen broadband penetration as promised and can’t be seen as playing any critical role in the country’s development agenda despite the huge taxpayers’ money sunk into it”.
The satellite was supposed to among many other things provide broadband internet access to Nigerians at lower prices. We are still waiting. Built in China and deployed by the Chinese into space, the report says NigComSat-1R has failed to attract enough customers or any patronage from even Nigerian firms.
I pray in my heart that the report is not true, because it tells a tale of a government agency that is losing money, badly managed, lacks the technological know-how to run the operation and yet seeking $701m loans for two new satellites.
The current satellite was financed by loan and there are plans to secure more loans to build more.
Crazy.
This is terrible. Taking all these in with the recent reports that the FG just secured another $6bn “service exchange” loan from China under terrible, even ridiculous terms really baffles me.
My small boy opinion is that we do not need all these. What we should be pushing for is knowledge transfer and training. When we hired the Chinese to build these satellites for us, how many Nigerian engineers participated in the construction of the machines? How many of our guys got trained? Can we build a satellite of ours by ourselves now?
The FG is raising $6 billion to build infrastructure, yet no Nigerian company will get to build anything because the terms says Chinese firms will be deployed to offer their services. How will we develop our Nigerian companies if we cannot commit key projects into their hands?
If the tables were reversed, would the Chinese sign-off on such a deal?
Crazy.
Crazy.
Just Crazy.
Read for yourself: NigComSat-1R becoming white elephant four years after – Investigation
