Controversy is raging between the two space agencies of the country over the rightful authority to the nation’s satellite as stakeholders await Senate’s resolution through the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Corporation Bill currently before the federal lawmakers.
With this controversy between the National Space Research Development Agency (NARSDA) and its commercial arm, NigComSat, the ambitious space plan of the country to launch three satellites, send astronauts to space by 2015 and launch a made-in-Nigeria satellite into space by 2018 is under threat.
Stakeholders in the sector now look up to the Senate to resolve the issue in a report expected from the lawmakers.
The Senate in 2011 conducted a public hearing on the NigComSat Bill and the expectations are that the bill, when enacted, will resolve the controversy.
Ita Ewa, minister of science and technology, who supervises the two agencies, is also confused as he described as conflicting the NARSDA Act 2010’s provision on the issue.
He explained that the Federal Republic of Nigeria in exercise of its international obligation vested in NARSDA through the Act the responsibility for building and launching satellites for the nation as well as monitoring and managing activities in relation to space within the Nigerian territory.
According to Ewa, Section 5(a) on procurement of in-orbit launch (whether in low, medium or geostationary earth orbits) and operation of communication satellites is conflicting with the provision of Section 6(b) of NASRDA Act 2010, which, he said, saddles the agency with the responsibility to develop satellite technology for various applications, their operationalisation within Nigeria and shall be the only government agency to build and launch satellites of any kind.
“Section 5(h) and (i) of the NigComSat Bill states that the corporation shall be charged with the setting up and operating centres for micro-electronics; and carrying out product development related activities in connection with communications satellites”.
“These are conflicting with Section 6(b) of the core responsibility of NARSDA Act 2010 and the Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD). By Section 11(b) of NARSDA Act 2010, it is charged with the responsibility to research and develop all types of satellites’, Ewa said.
Ewa noted that Section 5(m) of the proposed NigComSat Corporation with exclusive preserve for providing all the satellite bandwidth for government agencies in Nigeria on a commercial basis would monopolise and strangulate the growth of this sector of the economy.
ALEXANDER CHIEJINA
