NIGCOMSAT staff allege procurement irregularities, unpaid travel costs under MD Egerton-Idehen
NIGCOMSAT employees accuse Managing Director Jane Egerton-Idehen of procurement irregularities and poor staff welfare, citing delayed reimbursements for official trips and a salary structure unchanged for 17 years. Anonymous staff told DAILY POST they often finance local and international assignments from personal funds, with reimbursements either delayed or allegedly withheld, forcing some to borrow from banks and accumulate interest. DAILY POST reported on September 18, 2026 that the spokesperson, Stephen Kwande, acknowledged welfare concerns but said a salary review is far advanced and urged staff to be patient.
Concerns also surround the procurement of new satellite projects. Industrial sources claim that during evaluation for the NIGCOMSAT programme, China’s Great Wall Industry Corporation outperformed the selected contractors Thales Alenia Space of France and Israel Aerospace Industries in technical and financial scores, yet was not chosen. Additionally, on September 16, 2026, Space in Africa reported NIGCOMSAT selected Hughes Network Systems’ JUPITER scalable gateway as ground infrastructure for the NIGCOMSAT-2A and -2B satellites. This follows Hughes Satellite Systems’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on August 3, 2026, raising questions about financial stability and continuity of supply.
The agency maintains Thales Alenia Space and IAI were the most qualified contractors after due process. These issues affect staff morale, financial integrity of Nigeria’s satellite agency, and pose risks to national space projects.