However, if this must be done, it must be done properly and in the nation's overall national interest and not for the sake of blindly advancing and massaging some private egos, aggrandizements and interests as were (is) in the cases of the following seemingly likely ill-fated money guzzling “White Elephant” projects and program: NigeriaSat-1 (NigeriaSat-2 is on its very way soon); NigComSat-1; NigComSat Ltd and Galaxy Broadband Backbone Plc (i.e. GalaxyBB Plc) and the faulty privatization of NITEL Ltd/SAT-3 and M-Tel Ltd to the controversial Nigeria Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Plc.).

As the ill-fated NigComSat-1 (and all the other similar projects listed above) were conceived as vanity “White Elephant” projects and programs, Nigeria is today faced with the grim prospects of losing its huge hurriedly invested funds in acquiring and launching these “White Elephant” Satellites that are likely to continue to disappear without trace in space as was the case recently with the ill-fated NigComSat-1.

Whichever arguments and reasons, that could be advanced by the managements and bosses of NigComSat-1, the state-owned commercial outfit created to run its affairs, NigComSat Ltd and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, the fact of the matter is that the immediate past administration of President Obasanjo was misadvised, “captured” by Abuja policy hawks and railroaded by contract pushers to embark upon the above listed vanity “White Elephant” projects and programs that now constitute a huge drain and sunk costs to the nation's treasury.

administration's poor handling of gargantuan money guzzling Telecoms project that was based on an untested technology then in the 1970s.

That project was an ill-fated controversial “Aerostat Balloon Station Project” meant for the then defunct Nigerian Post and Telecommunications Company (P & T), the forerunner of the present day NITEL Ltd/Transcorp Plc.

The project became a “White Elephant” and was later abandoned by the company contracted to build it after collecting all its mobilization fees etc. Again, the nation is now back to the same old tricks of yesteryears and is now left second-guessing on what went wrong and why. The bosses responsible for the day to day running and upkeep of the now ill-fated Space junk are at the moment, busy churning out official statements trying to convince the largely ill-informed Nigerian generally public of what's is going on.

Sadly speaking, they are even refusing to acknowledge the truth that the Satellite is lost for good. This is very sad and unfortunate development. However, the nation is used to such never-ending embarrassing circumstances. And generally, the public are not bemused either it is business as usual.

No one is going to take responsibility for what has happened and expectedly, no one is going to be asked to account for what has happened either. But some people will be smiling to the bank.

Already, some members of the National Assembly are positioning themselves to undertake an unnecessary jamboree trip to China on a “legislative oversight facts finding mission”! What a clever way of “cashing-in” and materially benefiting from a national malaise and disaster!!
While I am in total support for a thorough executive and legislative investigations into what went wrong and why, I don't think undertaking an unnecessary trip to China is the best way to get the facts on the ground.

For instance, broadband communications technologies available ubiquitously even in Nigeria have made it easier to communicate across the globe without physically travelling to places in order to engage in complex exchanges all over the world; even from the remotest crannies on earth and in space. After all, that's exactly what the combined NigComSat-1/NigComSat Ltd business entity and GalaxyBB Plc and all the privately licensed Telcos in Nigeria were established to facilitate.

A mores sensible thing for President Yar'Adua and the National Assembly to focus attention upon is an urgent review of all the existing, planned and or proposed ICT and Space-based programs, projects and proposals.

This is with a view to properly evaluate and understand their actual (not perceived) costs and benefits to the nation. Based on review and rigorous technical and cost-benefit analyzes, the government will be better positioned to prioritize on which ones should be continued as is, improved upon and or discontinued as the case may be.

It is in light of this proposition that I would suggest that the proposed scheduled launching of NIGERIASAT-2, in the last quarter of 2009 being proposed by the Hon. Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhre, as disclosed during a national media conference on space science and technology held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, should be put on hold until the clouds are clear as to what happened to the ill-fated NigComSat-1. Going ahead with scheduled launching of the NIGERIASAT-2 will amount to brazen disregard for caution and insensitive to wise senses of reasoning.

Culled from nigerianmuse.com