Concerns have been raised over alleged procurement irregularities, poor staff welfare and other governance issues rocking the Federal Government’s agency, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, NIGCOMSAT, under its Managing Director, Jane Egerton-Idehen.
DAILY POST reports that employees of NIGCOMSAT who spoke with DAILY POST on condition of anonymity described the period since Egerton-Idehen’s appointment as managing director in November 2023 as one of the most difficult in the agency’s history.
NIGCOMSAT employees also alleged wrong management decisions, outstanding financial obligations, victimisation and issues surrounding promotion processes under Egerton-Idehen.
Staff welfare and outstanding obligations
One of the most serious concerns raised by employees relates to outstanding payments owed to staff who undertake official assignments on behalf of the agency.
A staff member who requested anonymity alleged that some employees have been required to finance both official local and international trips from their personal resources, with reimbursements either delayed or, in some cases, allegedly withheld.
According to the employee, some staff have had to borrow money from banks to finance official assignments. The resulting interest and repayment obligations, the employee said, continue to accumulate while reimbursement remains outstanding.
“I cannot continue borrowing money from the bank to travel for NIGCOMSAT and then struggle to recover the money afterward,” the employee reportedly said.
When DAILY POST contacted the spokesperson of NIGCOMSAT, Stephen Kwande, he confirmed concerns over poor staff welfare but said the agency was working to address the issue.
“You can’t blame the staff, neither can you blame management. Because you can imagine a staff whose salary has not been reviewed for 17 years. Obviously, whatever he takes home will not be enough. And this management that came barely three years ago has made an effort to ensure that the salary is being reviewed. As I speak to you, this salary review issue has gone very far. So, it’s just to let staff be a little bit patient,” he told DAILY POST in an interview.
Satellite procurement questions
Concerns have also emerged regarding the procurement process for NIGCOMSAT’s newly approved satellite projects.
It was reported that Thales Alenia Space of France and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) were selected as contractors for the new satellite programme.
Industrial sources claimed that, during the procurement process, Great Wall Industry Corporation of China allegedly performed ahead of the two selected companies in aspects of the technical and financial evaluation but did not emerge as the preferred contractor.
Hughes Chapter 11 restructuring raises potential delivery and continuity concerns for NIGCOMSAT-2A/2B ground infrastructure
On 16 September 2026, Space in Africa reported that NIGCOMSAT had selected Hughes Network Systems’ JUPITER scalable gateway as the ground infrastructure for the planned NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B satellites.
The development follows Reuters’ 3 August 2026 report that Hughes Satellite Systems, an EchoStar subsidiary, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing significant debt obligations and concerns over its financial position.
The juxtaposition raises potential strategic, financial, supply-chain and project-continuity risks for NIGCOMSAT, given the proposed role of Hughes in providing critical ground infrastructure, technical support and local assembly capability for the next-generation satellite programme.
The development highlights the need for appropriate contractual safeguards, financial and technical due diligence, continuity provisions, alternative supplier arrangements, performance guarantees and contingency planning for critical ground-segment infrastructure.
NIGCOMSAT reacts to allegations
Meanwhile, according to Kwande, Thales Alenia Space of France and Israel Aerospace Industries emerged as the “most qualified contractors” for Nigeria’s new satellite programme.
“They are the best. Of course, they satisfied the bidding process. And they went through due process. Even some American companies also competed, but they did not emerge.
“Even the Chinese that we had also competed. Yes, but none of them actually emerged.”
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