The House Ad-Hoc Committee probing the 460 million dollars Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance project in the Federal Capital Territory has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to suspend any further disbursements to ZTE Corporation pending satisfactory explanations on the execution of the contract.
This was its resolution after lawmakers expressed deep frustration over what they described as inconsistencies, vague responses, and a lack of transparency from ZTE officials regarding the scope, deployment locations, and current operational status of the project.
As part of its directive, the committee mandated the company to reappear with comprehensive and verifiable documentation including detailed inventory of all equipment supplied and installed with precise locations of the infrastructure nationwide.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Panel’s Chairman Donald Ojogo clarified that the exercise as a fact-finding mission, aims at addressing growing public concern, noting that Nigerians deserve clear answers.
Representing the company, Irene Momoh said ZTE supplied and installed CCTV infrastructure in Abuja and Lagos, noting that the project was completed between 2011 and 2012, but admitted uncertainty about the current functionality of the system.
However, tensions escalated when the official attributed gaps in his responses to the fact that he only assumed office in 2023, noting that several officials involved in the original contract were no longer with the company.
Recall that the CCTV project was initiated under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as part of efforts to strengthen urban security through modern surveillance systems.
RLS/SAN
