By Sunday Stephen
Nigeria’s satellite communications system is under serious threat as China has issued a 30-day ultimatum demanding the payment of a $11.44 million debt or risk the shutdown of the country’s communications satellite.
China’s China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) has warned that it may deactivate services supporting Nigeria’s satellite if Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) fails to settle the outstanding payment, which has reportedly accumulated over the past seven years.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Managing Director of NigComSat, Ms Jane Egerton-Idehen, and copied to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chinese aerospace company cautioned that continued non-payment could force it to suspend services on the active transponders of NigComSat-1R—a critical satellite powering parts of Nigeria’s telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure.
The letter, signed by Liu Lan, CGWIC’s Director of Marketing for Africa, revealed that Nigeria’s unpaid balance had reached $11,442,335.89 as of December 31, 2025.
According to the company, it has continued to provide essential Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) services for the satellite from its facility in Kashi, China, despite not receiving payment from NigComSat since 2019.
CGWIC noted that it had deliberately avoided aggressive debt recovery measures for years in order to prevent disruptions to Nigeria’s satellite operations. However, it said increasing pressure from internal auditors and subcontractors has now made it impossible to continue rendering services without payment.
As a result, the company has demanded either immediate settlement of the debt or a legally binding payment guarantee within 30 days.
The Chinese firm also advised NigComSat to notify its customers of the looming crisis, warning that the reliability and performance of the satellite can no longer be guaranteed if the debt dispute remains unresolved.
Investigations further revealed that the Chinese company had previously intervened in 2019 to avert a potential orbital failure of the satellite before entering into a management arrangement with the Nigerian operator.
Meanwhile, the Head of Corporate Communications at NigComSat, Stephen Kwande, said the agency would respond to the development but had yet to issue an official statement as of the time this report was filed.