By Umar Muhammad Puma
Worried by the failure of Close Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV), to detect criminal activities in the country, the House of Representatives has mandated its committees on information and communication technology (ICT) as well as public safety and national security, to investigate the failure of the video surveillance equipment project.
The House, in a motion read by Rep Saviour Friday Udoh (PDP Akwa Ibom), noted that a contract to install the video surveillance and the CCTV cameras to check insecurity in the country had been awarded to ZTE Corporation, which is known globally as a leading provider of telecommunication equipment and network solution and is operating in more than 160 countries.
Following the October 1, 2010 bomb explosion at the Millennium Park, Abuja, the federal government contracted ZTE Nigeria Ltd, (a Chinese Company), for a massive installation of the CCTV cameras and Solar Panels in all the nooks and crannies of Abuja metropolis, and its suburbs.
The project, embarked upon in order to enhance security in the capital city, was however dead on arrival even as Abuja residents continued to live under siege of occasional bomb blasts.
Rep Udoh told the House that the company, which was founded in 1985, is listed on both Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges, and is currently China’s biggest telecom equipment firm.
He explained that the contract was awarded by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, for the installation of the cameras known as public security communication system (PSCS), at the initial cost of $470 million (about N76 billion), to be funded through a finance agreement between the Nigerian government and the China export bank.
He said, the federal government had also awarded a contract for the installation of 2000 digital solar power cameras, 1000 each in Lagos and Abuja, while 37 switch rooms, MW backbone, 37 coalition emergency response system, 38 video conference subsystem, 37 E-police system, six emergency communication vehicles and 1.5 million subscriber lines.
He expressed concern that though the project has been fully completed and handed over to the government since 2012, no criminal activity had ever been detected through the security gadgets.
The motion was then referred to the House committees for further legislative inputs, and are to report back to the House within two weeks.
An Abuja based lawyer, Olugbenga Adeyemi, had sued the federal government and the FCT over the moribund and comatose CCTV project.
In a suit with reference No. (FHC/ABJ/CS/413/2014), the lawyer also joined the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Attorney -General of the Federation, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Nigeria Police as the defendants.
Other defendants are Nigeria Communications Commission, ZTE Nigeria LTD and Nigeria Communication Satellite LTD.
The plaintiff urged the court to grant an order of mandamus compelling the EFCC to investigate and prosecute the defendants for financial misappropriation of a whooping sum of N76 billion.
