WHY NIGCOMSAT BOARD ESCAPED FG DISSOLUTION

By Prince Osuagwu
As the federal government carried out its ritual of dissolving its Boards and Parastatals every four years, it was surprising why the board of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited NIGCOMSAT escaped the exercise.

However, Hi-Tech can reveal that it was not for any other reason other than the board was just newly inaugurated recently and has not served the stipulated four year term.

Information from the ministry of Communications Technology attested to the fact that 'the NIGCOMSAT board was inaugurated in February 2011 and had not served for four years.'

President Goodluck Jonathan announced the dissolution of all federal government Boards and Parastatals on the 19th of October 2011 leaving that of NIGCOMSAT still running. Since then the action has fuelled rumours in the industry of either favouritism imbalance treatment.

But with the explanations, the matter is expected to go to bed.

Even while inaugurating the Committee on the Composition of the Boards of Federal Government Parastatals chaired by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, President Jonathan had emphasized that the former members of the various boards were not sent packing because they were incompetent but because it was the tradition to do so every four years.

The president said: 'It is customary that at the end of every four years the boards of federal government parastatals, agencies are dissolved. The dissolution would have been done earlier but of course this is a continuous government that is why we were not in a hurry to dissolve boards. But of course we have to review and reposition properly'.

Meanwhile, the Communication Technology Minister, Mrs Johnson last week, inaugurated new members into the Board of the NCC and USPF. Mrs Johnson said that the inauguration follows the confirmation by Senate of the members and has come about as a result of the expiration of tenures of some serving commissioners on the NCC Board and the requirement that the USP Board include private sector representation as prescribed in the Nigeria Communications Act 2003.

She urged the Board members to see their inauguration as a call to national duty. According to her, 'as you join in decision making at the Board of the Commission, please remember that expectations are very high and you will be accountable to both the government and the Nigerian people.

'Accountability here is not only about how you carry on with your businesses at the board level, but more about how the decisions that you make translate into a strong successful telecoms industry which includes satisfied consumers of telecommunications services and a tangible increase in universal access to Nigerians''

She said that the Nigerian consumer will continue to demand for high quality services at affordable costs. Users of telecommunications services will continue to ask for the most sophisticated services available in any part of the world. The demand for broadband services across the nation is becoming higher and higher as operators struggle to meet demand.