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The End Even At The Beginning By Abiola Olopade
I am one of the numerous Nigerians that always enjoy write ups on your website because you publish article put together by various writers not minding how hard the nails has been hit on the head and this I say more grease to your elbow.
I am a Nigerian with deep passion for growth especially in energy and telecommunication sector and this drew my searchlight closer to Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) the operating company of the newly launched NIGCOMSAT-1. But, what I discovered from my own little finding might be very shocking to Nigerian populace, who might be expecting dividend of democracy from the services of the newly launched satellite. I don’t know if you can use the scope of your work to alert the nation of the impending doom that might befall their $200M investment if not checked immediately. Let me remind you that the said $200M was a loan from a Chinese bank, in which there was an agreement that the Satellite will pay back the said loan, I just hope that as the China were faithful in ensuring the giving out of the loan, Nigeria will as well live up to expectation in paying back at the specify period through the said Satellite. May be before you alert the nation if there is a way, you can ascertain the truth of what you’re about to read, please try and do it, so that it will not be like giving wrong information to over 140M Nigerians. This is not sent to you out of sentiment, but out of my love to see the project coming out successfully as they have it other nations that have communication satellite throughout the World.
I am one of the numerous Nigerians who believes that Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are being unfair to Nigeria populace by denying this company unified license to go into last mile data delivery, which in every ramification will enhance the communication output in the land and I was glad when I read that Mr President have ordered NCC to grant them their request, but all these might amount to nothing if some things are not put in place for the effective running of this young firm to avoid it going into decay.
As at today, the company is a one man show and with so many tribes and towns in Nigeria, could you believe that the tribe and town that have the MD, has also the: Human Resources Manager, Admin Manager (Marketing), Ground Station Manager, 6 Assistant Managers, procurement officer, protocol officer and even the last recruitment that was done in the same company produce more than 20 of the 50 newly employed officer from the same tribe. What a very brilliant and knowledgeable tribe! Though so many of them were asked to claim neighbouring states, so as to avoid being linked with the state and subsequently with the town. But a walk into the premises of NIGCOMSAT Limited will reveal to you that from the cleaners to the management staffs are practically from the tribe. Infact the undeclared official language in the company as at today is of the said tribe. I am not tribalistic in nature; I’m only trying to let you see that any fraud perpetrated will be easily covered as brothers will not want to expose one another.
Presently, projects that have been carried out and is being carried out in and within the premises of the company is being done by these people. This might be good if it is being done faithfully, but it is characterised with supplying of inferior materials as against what was quoted for, inflating the price far more than what an equivalent of it can be purchased in the open market, just to mention but few of the various ways through which tax-payers money are going into drain through these people.
Another area of the evil being perpetrated is favouritism. While it is always possible for someone from that tribe and from a named religion, to get things done easily, reverse is the case for the rest people and majorly people from the opposite religion. The criteria of using the best is no longer there, rather using the favoured and this had led to going down what has been a very mighty firm in the country in the time past. Let me remind you that some of us were young when Ajaokuta Steel and rolling industry, a one time famous company in this country not only became infamous, but gone down completely and some of the things discussed above responsible for this great nation losing that great project.
Presently, the whole nation is agog on the issue of N628 million scam rocking the House of Representatives, with Madam Speaker at the center of the blowing wind; I wonder what the reactions of Nigerians will be, if a gigantic project that far outweigh the House of Representative scandal of this magnitude is plunged into the ocean.
To round it off, an adage goes a stitch in time saves nine, may be sending this to you will be a stitch in time, and may be you alerting Nigerians will be a stitch in time to save the nine of Nigerian’s $200M investment.
Thanks.
Abiola Olopade
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