A $460 million security project meant to protect Nigeria’s capital has become the subject of a parliamentary probe after failing to curb rising violence in Abuja. The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the defunct Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) system, funded through a Chinese loan that Nigeria continues to repay.
The investigation follows a motion by Amobi Godwin Ogah, who questioned why criminal activities continue escalating despite the massive investment.
“Concerned that despite this huge investment as well as the financial burden Nigeria is subjected to by way of servicing the loan, the impact of the CCTV is not felt in any manner,” Ogah stated during the plenary session.
The project, initiated during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, was financed through a $460 million loan from the China EXIM Bank and awarded to Chinese firm ZTE Communications.
Lawmakers expressed particular concern that Nigeria remains locked in what Ogah characterized as a “lose-lose nightmare” – continuing loan repayments for a security system that provides no protection.
The House resolution establishes an ad-hoc committee with a clear mandate: investigate the utilization of the massive loan and determine why the surveillance system has completely failed to enhance security in the Federal Capital Territory. The committee will summon all relevant government agencies and contractors involved in the project’s execution.
The probe comes in response to growing public anxiety over security in the nation’s capital, where residents have reported increasing incidents of violent crime despite the supposed presence of a half-billion-dollar surveillance network.
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