Juliana Taiwo and Dayo Thomas
13 November 2008
Abuja — The Federal Government has said Nigerian Communiations Satellite (NigCom-Sat) is not missing but packed up "due to loss of energy".
Briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr. Alhassan Zaku, said the satellite actually developed a technical fault that resulted in the inability of the operational batteries to be charged by the solar panels.
THISDAY had reported yesterday that the N40 billion satellite had developed technical problems and gone missing from the orbit.
Zaku said the fault was detected by the Nigerian and Chinese engineers stationed in Abuja and China at about 4.00 am on Tuesday.
He said immediately the manufacturer was contacted, repairs could not be effected on time, hence the decision to pack it in order not to cause damage to other satellites.
The minister said if repairs could not be effected on the satellite, a new one would be built and launched, adding that the cost would be born by NigComSat's insurance company.
Zaku assured customers of NigComSat that their loads would be migrated to another transponder at no extra cost.
According to him, "At about 4am yesterday (Tuesday), our engineers who are manning the ground station here in Abuja, noticed that the satellite in the orbit was not being recharged.
"Usually, this is suppose to happen via solar energy. Usually, when it is not being recharged, it losses energy very fast. So when they noticed, they quickly reported to the managing director. About the same time, the station in China, of course the satellite was built and launched in China, noticed and also called to communicate what they have noticed but assured that they were working to see what they could do. Immediately they summoned their engineers including the president of the company that built the satellite and they tried to see what they could do about the power being lost.
"When they found that it was becoming a bit difficult for them to manage, they contacted us to ask what they should do since it is our own. At around 9am, I met with the MD and we looked at the options and decided that the best thing to do was to pack it like you park a car.
"Because if it is not packed there will be no energy left to move it but because there was still some energy left, we decided to move it aside and pack it in a safe place. Because if it is not done, it will lose all the energy and become like a lose canon which will keep rolling about and hitting other satellites in orbit. And of course almost all satellites are carrying loads that are paid for and once you make that damage you are liable. So we decided that they should pack it while repairs continue.
"However, we have also told them that in the event that it cannot be repaired, our insurance companies have to replace it. It is insured, so it will be replaced either they give us another one which is already in orbit or they built another one.
"Meanwhile, all the customers whose pay load we are carrying have been assured that we will migrate whatever we are carrying for them - TV, radio into another transponder so they need not fear at all. Of course they are not going to pay anything. The cost will be born by our own satellite because they paid for it and in fact the last amount they paid for it has not even be taken to the treasury, of course they pay in instalments quarterly. So the last money they paid has not even been banked yet. We are still trying to collect all, so we will just take that money and pay for another transponder for them to use now until ours is repaired or replaced."
Also reacting to the missing satellite, the management of the NigComSat1 said it noticed a service disruption on November 10, 2008.
In a statement by the organisation's Marketing Manager Bimbola Alale, it said: "Contrary to the statement in the media, NigComSat 1 is not missing but rather power down at about 10 am Monday morning when observed abnormal battery discharge in anon-eclipse situation."
Alale said the Satellite had been put in an emergency mode operation in order to effect mitigation and repair.
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This is an article from Naija Internet forum that speaks loud and clear on this issue. I did not consider it necessary posting a rebuttal since this article eloquently and explicitly is right on the money.
FYI.
Thanks for shedding some light into this note worthy episode in our nation's debacle but unbeknown to many Nigerians as the most predicted catastrophe facing Nigeria even worst than looting and stashing away of our national treasury by our leaders. Nigeria is a nation that has refused to learn to synergies her resources due to tribal and religious sentiments.
I remember vividly a song I heard in the late 1980s and the lyrics of the song said something to the effect that " The thing wey dey for China, Europe or America also dey for Sokoto, Aba and Ibadan Etc. and that Nigeria is our country we must salvage it together"
History would also reveal that Nigeria squandered a great opportunity when the war ended. Instead of harnessing and tapping into the intellect of those "Biafran Geniuses" who single handed built the formidable Biafran military armament that sustained the young republic for more than thirty six months of the war were detained, tortured and dispersed. Had Nigeria kept the Biafran Research and Development the architect of the Ogbunigwe factors and Shore Batteries that kept the largest Nigeria warship NNS at bay at Onne as history revealed, chances were that Nigeria would have been a power house. Biafra had no choice since the Federal Government blockaded her so she looked inward and her people answered the call of duty. The Biafra’s pride is not that they fought a war of survival but that they realized the potentials that abound in them due to necessity.
China was written off by the West until Chairman Mao asked his people to look inward and China were shut off to the outside world for over ten years but when China arrived back into the scene she became the darling of the West and a major economic and military player as we speak.
Nigeria is even equipped to do what China did instead of asking China to build her Satellite but the discovery of oil in Nigeria took away our initiative and determination as a nation to compete favorably in the world. Nigeria has many physicist, engineers, doctors, administrators, technocrats just to name a few scattered all over the world and helping to develop other places but unable to come home. Ask genuine Nigerians in the Diaspora they would tell you that they have been ready to come home and be prepared to burst their chaps to elevate Nigeria. The truth is that the leadership and all those who are use to stealing and stashing away money do not want us home though they pretend about their desire hence NIDO has been a charade.
Nigeria Government would rather contract out sensitive project of our national security to China or any other countries rather than pay Nigerians well and show them some respect to do the job. It is obvious that the only sole reason for this malady is that those trusted with this task are not thinking about Nigeria but their own pockets. There would be much more missing stuff until we get it right.
One thing that struck me is what the minister is talking about the insurance company paying for the cost of a new satellite or the cost of repair in the event that it is replace or repaired. I a normal situation, the company that manufactured the satellite should bear the whole cost, unless the minister is indirectly saying that there is no enough warranty for the satellite project that has so cost the country a fortune.
I am very happy to read more on this issue this morning, I will have to say that the execuses given by the minister, Dr. Zaku is not tennable in real sense. A well design Solar Energy system for important project as Satellite should have automatic charging system attachment. I hope the Minister and NigComSat's Company are not playing games. We are watching the games and I sincerely hope the public fung(Government money)will not be spent to rectify what ever problems found in this case. Thank you.
Adamson Ifesanya