FG Plans to Sell Nigeria Communications Satellite

Mr. Benjamin Dikki, Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has said that the Federal Government has decided to sell the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) in order to inject the entrepreneurial spirit into the running of the company.

Dikki said this when Prof. Seidu Mohammed, director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, paid him a courtesy  visit, according to a statement made available to media by Mr. Alex Okoh, acting, head, Public Communications at BPE.

The BPE boss said it was necessary to inject entrepreneurial spirit into NigComSat and make the company commercially viable.

He explained that in privatizing NigComSat, the security of the nation would not be compromised.

He added that BPE would strategize and evaluate how much private sector participation would be required in the company to drive its growth.

Dikki stressed that the BPE would rely on informed guidance from key stakeholders to determine the model of privatization to be recommended to the National Council on Privatization for adoption in the privatization of NigComSat.

He said in executing the transaction, a Joint Project Delivery Team comprising the BPE, the Ministry of Communication Technology, NASRDA and other key stakeholders would be empanelled for the purpose.

According to him, Information and Communications Technology that encompasses satellite systems and telecommunications is key to the growth of any nation.

Mohammed said the purpose of the visit was to intimate the BPE of the activities of his agency and to seek more clarification on the planned privatisation of NigComSat.

The NASRDA boss explained that there was need for communication satellite for all Nigerians as it was vital not only for telecommunications but also for earth characterisation to support the agricultural sector of the country.

He lamented the poor funding of the science and technology sector of the country and called for more investment in the sector to boost the competitiveness of Nigeria.