NSE says NigComSat-1R, key to Vision 202020 success

By Prince Osuagwu

The Nigerian Society of Engineers, at the weekend said that part of the ways to achieving the Vision 2020-20 project was to ensure that Ministries, Directorates and Agencies of government and the private sector patronize the services of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited’s replace satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1R.

Executives of the society who visited and toured the facilities of the satellite company last week, in Abuja, noted that with billions of naira already invested on infrastructure like NigComSat -1R which is now functional, the country was clearly on its way to joining the developed world in the race for vision 20.20.20.

President of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Mustapha B. Shehu (right);  Immediate past president of NSE, Engr. Olumuyiwa Ajibola (2nd right); MD NIGCOMSAT, Engr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai (far left) and others during the visit of Nigeria Society of Engineers’ Exco to NIGCOMSAT ground control station in Abuja recently.

President of the Society Engr. Mustapha  Shehu said that the Federal Government would do the citizens a world of good if it puts in place policies that could encourage Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to leverage on what NIGCOMSAT has for the benefit of the people.

“The Federal Government which came up with this project means well and after spending huge sums of money, cannot allow this to go the Ajaokuta Steel way”, Shehu added.

He also called on the State Governments, Organised Private Sector, to patronise the NIGCOMSAT facilities if they must join the rest of the world in technology acquisition and economic emancipation.

The society has expressed absolute confidence in NigComSat’s resolve to bringing affordable broadband access to the Nigerian populace.

The delegation, expressed satisfaction with the knowledge transfer of technology by the Chinese people, after embarking on an extensive tour of the facilities where the operations of NigComSat-1R, the geostationary satellite launched in December 2011 is being closely monitored and sustained by Nigerian engineers.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Managing Director of NigComSat Ltd, Engr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai told the group of the capabilities of the Micro-Electronic Centre(MEC) and the Direct to Home(DTH) satellite broadcasting platform which enables viewers to receive a minimum of 200 to 300 channels.

He  assured the engineers that when fully deployed, content providers would have an opportunity to ride on the platform and leverage its use to revolutionise the broadcasting media in Nigeria and contribute immensely to the improvement of broadcasting in general especially that we have a few year to migrate to digital broadcasting.