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By Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives on Wednesday raised the alarm over the escalating wave of insecurity and loss of lives in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), despite the installation of a $460 million closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system intended to enhance security monitoring.
The development followed the adoption of an urgent motion moved by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah (FCE), Member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, titled “Urgent Need to Investigate the Rising Insecurity and Loss of Several Lives in Abuja on Wednesday, the Federal Capital, Despite the CCTV Project Secured with a Chinese Loan of $460 Million.”
Moving the motion under matters of urgent public importance, Hon. Ogah expressed deep concern that despite Nigeria’s huge financial investment in the Abuja CCTV project, insecurity within the capital city has continued to worsen, with daily reports of violent crimes, kidnappings, and fatal attacks.
He recalled that the CCTV surveillance initiative was conceived during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as part of a national security infrastructure designed to safeguard lives and property by deploying technology to detect and deter criminal activities.
To actualize this, Ogah noted, the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, led a Federal Government delegation to Beijing, China, in 2010, where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with ZTE Communications of China, the company awarded the contract for the installation of CCTV cameras across strategic locations in Abuja.
The project was financed through a $460 million loan obtained from the China-EXIM Bank, drawn from a $600 million soft credit facility, repayable over ten years after an initial ten-year grace period.
However, more than a decade later, the lawmaker lamented that there is little or no evidence of the system’s functionality, as criminal activities in Abuja have not only persisted but increased, despite the continuous servicing of the loan by Nigeria.
“Nigeria continues to pay heavily for this loan obtained from a Chinese bank to execute a non-functional CCTV contract undertaken, curiously, also by a Chinese contractor. This leaves the country in a lose-lose situation,” Ogah stated.
He decried what he described as a “monumental failure of accountability,” stressing that Nigerians deserve answers on how such a significant financial investment could yield no visible results in terms of public safety.
Following extensive deliberation, the House resolved to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the status of the $460 million CCTV project, determine reasons for its non-performance, identify responsible parties, and recommend appropriate legislative action to prevent further waste of public funds.
The Committee is also expected to examine Nigeria’s current debt obligations arising from the loan and ascertain whether any part of the project remains operational or was ever completed in line with the original contract specifications.