The Federal Government has applied to the EXIM Bank of China for a fresh N52bn loan for the e-borders security project being implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The loan facilitation is being carried out by the Ministry of Finance.
But due to non-release of funds by the Chinese bank, the project has failed to take off two years after the Federal Executive Council awarded the contract to an unnamed company.
The Ministry of Interior, in response to an inquiry from our correspondent, confirmed that the project had not taken off due to lack of funds.
The contract, awarded by the FEC in 2019, involves electronic monitoring of the nation’s 86 border-control posts, comprising six mega-control posts, 16 medium-control posts and 64 mini-control posts.
When completed, the e-border would enable officials to see the real-time online situation of the country’s porous borders, which have been overrun by terrorists, bandits and smugglers in the North-East, North-West and parts of the South-West.
According to the government, the border control posts would be equipped with high-definition video surveillance for pedestrians, observable thermal and optical bi-spectrum for low visibility environment, unified Internet Protocol Telephony and videoconferencing facilities as well as advanced eLTE multi-media walkie-talkie communication.
To tackle the problem of power supply, especially at remote locations, the project would have a solar grid and 0.6 hybrid-power solutions for all control posts.
Sunday PUNCH could not immediately ascertain why the loan for the contract has not been disbursed by the Chinese bank, which has funded major infrastructure projects across the country, including rail, road and airport projects.
Data from the Debt Management Office revealed that total borrowing from China stood at $3.121bn as of March 2020, accounting for 3.94 per cent of Nigeria’s total public debt of over $79.303bn.
Providing an update on the contract, the interior ministry spokesperson, Mrs A. Lere-Adams, explained that the Ministry of Finance was vigorously pursuing the loan for the project from the Chinese bank.
In a statement titled, ‘Fact sheet of e-border project,’ the ministry stated, “The fact sheet of the e-border project to be implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service, an agency under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior, is hereby stated that the procedure is fully on course.
“The update of the project is as follows: It is a N52bn e-border security project to be implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service; the project is to be financed through a loan from the Chinese EXIM Bank.
“The process of the loan facilitation is the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Finance that has also given the assurance that the process is ongoing. The project financing agreement has been signed by finance (ministry). The Nigeria Immigration Service has the Project Delivery Unit; presently there has been no drawdown of funds.
“As the processes are being dynamically pursued, needed information shall be released to the public.
“Suffice it to keep the records and fact sheet straight that the e-border security project is strictly on course; the processing of the loan is being pursued vigorously and hopefully, it shall be of an invaluable benefit to the Nigerian border needs that will dovetail to improved security of life and properties.”
When asked about the identity of the contractor, Lere-Adams said, “No, please; maybe the immigration service.”
The NIS spokesman, Amos Okpu, failed to respond to messages from our correspondent.
Also, a former prosecutor with the Special Presidential Panel on Recovery of Public Property, Tosin Ojaomo, had requested the list of companies involved in the multi-billion naira project but the FG declined.
The lawyer, in a Freedom of Information request to the interior ministry dated April 13, 2021, demanded the certified true copies of the contract documents executed between the ministry and the contractor.
But in its reply dated May 11, 2021, signed by the Assistant Legal Adviser, Kabiru Saidu, the government claimed Ojaomo’s request fell under the exemption provided by Section 15 (1) (a) and (b) if the FOI Act, 2011.
The letter read in part, “You may wish to know that the MOU that was signed between the ministry and the contractor on e-border contract is part of a process preparatory to ongoing negotiations which have not been concluded.
“Furthermore, the said MOU contained commercial and financial information that is proprietary and confidential in nature, of which the contractor did not consent to the disclosure.”
When contacted on Friday, the media aide to the finance minister, Yunusa Abdullahi, promised to provide a progress report on the EXIM Bank loan process.
He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report. https://punchng.com/n52bn-border-security-project-in-a-coma-two-years-after-contract-award/Lalasticlala |
