The management of Nigeria Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) says its attention has been drawn to a report published by Daily Post on 18th September 2026 on the concluded procurement process for the NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B satellite programme.
In a statement signed by management made available to the media on Friday 25th September 2026, the company described the report as false, misleading, and mischievous while stating their position.The procurement exercise, according to the statement was conducted ‘competitively, transparently, and in strict compliance with the Public Procurement Act and the guidelines of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).”
“All bidders were assessed against the same predetermined criteria, including technical responsiveness, financial compliance, delivery capability, project risk, security considerations and long-term value to the Federal Government.”
The company stressed that contrary to allusion in the report, isolated performance does not determine overall outcome.
“The report relies on unverified claims attributed to anonymous “industrial sources” to suggest that a particular bidder performed better in certain aspects. This is a deliberate misrepresentation. In a procurement of this magnitude and complexity, performance in selected areas does not determine the overall outcome”, the company stated.
“The successful bidders emerged from a holistic evaluation of the complete framework, not from the preference of any individual or interest group.”Furthermore the company stated that
“Participation in a competitive procurement process does not confer an entitlement to selection, adding that, “Neither a bidder’s previous relationship with NIGCOMSAT nor its performance under an earlier contract guarantees its emergence in a new process.”
” It is therefore misleading to present the non-selection of a particular bidder as evidence of wrongdoing.”
“On Hughes Network Systems’ JUPITER Platform, the company responds thus:
“The report’s allusion to Chapter 11 proceedings involving Hughes Satellite Systems to discredit the selection of Hughes Network Systems’ JUPITER platform is speculative and untenable. The report fails to establish any nexus between the referenced corporate development and Hughes Network Systems’ technical capacity or its ability to deliver on the ground infrastructure component.
“Conjecture cannot supplant technical evaluation and contractual due diligence”, it added.
On matters relating to staff welfare, the current Management inherited a salary structure that had not been reviewed for 17 years and has since initiated a review through the requisite government approval processes. Management is also addressing outstanding obligations relating to official assignments while strengthening internal processes for authorisation and reimbursement.”
The management infers that
“the tone, language and contrived narrative of the report clearly suggest a clandestine and orchestrated move by vested interests and lobbyists who lost out in a transparently contested procurement process and have now resorted to engaging hatchet writers in a sponsored campaign of blackmail.”
“The use of unnamed sources to peddle unverified and defamatory claims, without adherence to the basic principles of fairness, balance and journalistic verification, is indicative of a paid hatchet job rather than responsible journalism”, it added.
“NIGCOMSAT respects the role of the media in holding public institutions accountable. However, we will not tolerate the use of the media as a procurement tribunal or as a tool for arm-twisting a public institution.
NIGCOMSAT welcomes legitimate scrutiny. However, concerns about the procurement process should be raised through the appropriate statutory and procurement review channels, not pursued through media pressure or unverified claims intended to discredit a concluded process.
Our Legal Department is currently reviewing the said publication and its defamatory imputations. Appropriate legal action will be taken against the sponsors and purveyors of this falsehood, including those hiding under the cover of unnamed sources to execute a paid job in flagrant disregard for journalistic ethics and principles.
Reiterating the agency’s commitment to national interests, the statement continued, “NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B are critical to Nigeria’s future digital infrastructure, national security and socio-economic development. They will strengthen communications resilience, expand broadband coverage and improve connectivity in underserved communities.
NIGCOMSAT remains fully committed to protecting Nigeria’s strategic interests and will continue to implement this programme with the requisite technical, financial, legal and project-continuity safeguards.”
“We stand firmly by the integrity and outcome of the concluded procurement process and will not yield to intimidation or external pressure.”