‘NIGCOMSAT still in the process of procuring $550m backup satellites’

The Nigerian Communications Satellites Limited is still in the process of procuring two more satellites at the cost of $550m to serve as backup for the country’s only communications satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1R, the chairman of the NIGCOMSAT board, Chief George Moghalu, has said.

Daily Trust had reported exclusively that Nigeria loses N720billion revenue annually as a result of failure of private companies and government agencies to patronise the country’s communications satellite.

 The lack of patronage is because there is no backup for the satellite, experts told Daily Trust.

But speaking with journalists after the end NIGCOMSAT board meeting at its headquarters in Abuja Monday, Chief Moghalu said the two back-up satellites, when procured, will put an end to the annual loss of N720bn.

He said the country’s communications satellite is currently being backed up temporarily by some foreign satellites, but ‘’having our own backup satellites is what we want.’’

He said the Executive Order 003 and 005 would surely increase patronage of NIGCOMSAT 1-R as companies and governments would now give priority to patronage of local satellite over foreign ones.

He said, ‘’ There is already an Executive Order 003 and 005, we are taking advantage of it because it provides for local content support and we are a local organization, so we need all the support that we can get and with all the back of Executive Orders I’m sure that government will certainly look towards our direction with a view to meeting our request and demand.

‘’So the assurance is that we are fully ready and we have the backup and we have the manpower and contacts and the commitments of other satellite organizations to provide us the needed back up before the launch of satellite 2 and 3.

‘’It is absolutely true that we need the satellite 2 and 3 like TulSat, we consider them as contemporaries because they are about to launch their second satellite so we need to as a country and company have our own back up satellite and that I think that necessitated the consultation that is going on for the funding of satellite 2 and 3. ‘’

‘’ We have already commenced the process and we have been engaging the government. We have been communicating with relevant government officials on why our satellite should be patronised. We have the competence, we have the wherewithal and to we are opening up more opportunities in the industry’’, he said.

On the plan of the new board to move the agency forward, he said the new board would expand the potentials of the agency and transform it into a huge revenue earning agency very soon.