NigComSat1R Abuja Control Station Broken, China Takes Over Control

…Incurs Management Debt Of N16bn In Seven Years

…Chinese Firm Threatens Shutdown in 30 Days

In the past seven years, the Nigerian Communications Satellite, known as the NigComSat1R has been controlled from China because the ground controlling station in Abuja had broken down.

Investigations by THE WHISTLER showed that the communications satellite was almost lost in 2019 before the Nigerian operator, the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, beckoned on the Chinese manufacturer, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), for help.

The help came at a cost as the NigComSat Limited entered into a management contract with CGWIC for the primary control of the satellite from Kashi in China. According to the terms of the contract, the Nigerian company is supposed to pay CWWIC about $1.6m per annum.

Insider sources told our correspondent that the ground controlling station in Abuja was damaged by thunderstorm in 2019 and could no longer issue commands that would keep the satellite on its assigned space in the orbit, 42.5 degree.

Following the damage of the ground station in Abuja in 2019, the Kashi station in China became the main controlling station instead of playing the backup role it was designed for.

“If the Chinese firm that built the satellite had not intervened, the satellite would have left its place in the orbit and probably caused some accident. The Chinese saved the situation and since then, it has been managed from China as the ground station in Abuja remains down,” a source told our correspondent.

Now the annual management fee has accumulated to over $11.44m as of December 2025. The Chinese firm says several strategies it had adopted to recover the debt had not worked and therefore has threatened to hands off the control of the satellite, an action that could mean the end of the satellite in the orbit. It could even lead to accident such as collision with other satellites in the orbit.

In a letter which was signed by the Director, Marketing, Africa at CGWIC, Liu Lan, the Chinese company asked the management of NigComSat Limited to inform its customers of the development because it wouldn’t guarantee the performance of the satellite should it fail to pay up the debt in 30 days.

Excerpt from the letter read, “As of December 31, 2025, the total net outstanding debt owed by NIGCOMSAT to CGWIC stands at USD11,442,335.89. This figure accounts for deductions for services NIGCOMSAT has been provided by us, yet the balance remains substantial and unresolved.

“Regrettably, despite our continuous provision of essential Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) services from Kashi, China, no payments have been received from NIGCOMSAT Ltd. since 2019.

“For the past seven years, CGWIC has deliberately delayed standard debt collection actions out of goodwill and a desire to ensure the continuity of Nigeria’s satellite operations.

“Furthermore, despite negotiations in 2023 and early 2025, in which CGWIC agreed in principle to reduce the debt, NIGCOMSAT has repeatedly failed to meet the agreed-upon conditions to make partial payments.”

It added, “As a commercial entity, CGWIC is currently under immense pressure from internal auditors and our external subcontractors, and we are no longer in a position to sustain these operations without remuneration.

“Therefore, CGWIC is hereby issuing a final thirty (30) day ultimatum. NIGCOMSAT is required to either make the payment of USD11,442,335.89 or provide a formal, legally binding guarantee of payment within thirty (30) days of the date of this letter.

“If full payment or an acceptable guarantee is not provided within this 30-day window, CGWIC will suspend service on the active transponders of the NIGCOMSAT-1R satellite.

“Please notify your customers in advance, as we will no longer guarantee the NIGCOMSAT-1R payload’s performance. CGWIC will not accept any liability for the resulting service blackouts, nor for any direct or indirect losses incurred by your organisation, third parties, or the Nigerian national infrastructure.

“Our goal remains to work collaboratively toward a mutually agreeable resolution. However, the urgency of this financial delinquency leaves us with no alternative but to enforce our commercial rights. We strongly urge you to prioritise this matter to safeguard Nigeria’s continuous presence in space.”

Nigeria’s first communications satellite, NigComSat-1, was designed and built by the CGWIC at a cost of $400m. The satellite, which was put into the orbit in May 2007, was de-orbited in November 2008 following the development of power fault. It was replaced in December 2011 with NigComSat-1R by the same company. It has a lifespan of 15 years, meaning that by 2027, it is supposed to be deorbited.

The Chinese company had charged NigComSat $350,000 for the management of the satellite from Kashi on standby basis for a period of 15 years. However, the cost of management changed when the Abuja control station was lost in 2019.

In a letter written to CGWIC in April 2021, former Managing Director of NigComSat Limited, Mrs. Abimbola Alale, attributed the inability of the company to repair the Abuja ground station to budgetary constraints.

“The last two years has been very challenging for NigComSat. Our ground station suffered major damage due to thunderstorm and while arrangements was being made with CGWIC to recover the station, the pandemic struck which up till now has made recovery and maintenance arrangement with CGWIC impossible.

“On proposal for the recovery of Abuja Ground Station, although we have some of the equipment proposed by you, we would like to partner with you where necessary to get the station upgraded as soon as funds are available.

“Again, we express our engagement to recover the TT&C function of Abuja GCS and regain primary control. Your proposal for recovery will be reviewed and considered and our technical and team will further follow up with you on this.”

Five years after Alale’s letter to CGWIC, the situation at the Abuja ground station had not changed, even with a change in the leadership of the satellite company two times since then.

What has happened is the accumulation of more than N16bn debt that may put a dent on Nigeria’s image and creditworthiness. The development also raises questions on the country’s trumped odyssey into space, given that even control had been outsourced more than 25 years after the country veered into acquisition of spacecrafts from foreign vendors.

Should the Chinese firm carry out its threat to shut down the spacecraft, commercial entities on NiGComSat1R may resort to suing the fledgling local satellite company.

Head of Corporate Communications at NigComSat Limited, Mr. Stephen Kwande, promised to respond when our correspondent got in touch with him on the phone. He was yet to do so before this story was filed.

When our correspondent eventually got the Managing Director of the company, Mrs. Jane Egerton-Idehen, on the phone, she said there was no need for any response since THE WHISTLER had already published snippets of the story.