Reps query $470m Abuja CCTV contract
The House of Representatives on Wednesday queried the $470m National Security Communication System contract for the Federal Capital Territory.

A component of the contract awarded to a Chinese firm, ZTE Corporation, is the installation of Close Circuit Television cameras in Abuja.

The Federal Government engaged the Chinese firm in the wake of bombings by the Boko Haram sect and other security challenges in the country lately.

But in a resolution in Abuja, the House asked its Joint Committee on Public Procurement, Aids, Loans/Debt Management, Information Technology and Police Affairs to “investigate the level of compliance with the award and the terms of contract and determine if the execution of the project by ZTE Corporation is in conformity with due process.”

This followed a motion by a member, Mr. Hassan Saleh, who informed the House that $399.5m of the contract sum would be sourced as a loan from the Chinese Government.

“The Federal Government has made a 15 per cent down payment, which amounted to N70.5m of the total contract sum and has signed a Sovereign Guarantee to the tune of $399.5m to enable ZTE to source for loan from the Chinese Government for the project,” Saleh told the House.

Besides, he stated that sub-standard CCTV cameras were allegedly being installed by the firm in Abuja, compared to similar projects executed in China, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Malaysia.

“The poles used are very close to the ground, making them easy targets for vandals, compared to what the same company did in their home country, China, and other countries,” he added.

One of the conditions of the contract set by ZTE, according to the lawmaker, is that the “contractual details of the transaction with the Federal Government should not be made public,” which implied that the project “is presently shrouded in secrecy.”

The House resolved that the alleged secrecy surrounding the details of the contract was a “clear violation of the doctrine of transparency, accountability and infringement of the laws of our country.”

Findings showed that the Chinese firm started erecting the CCTV shortly after the June 16 bombing of the Police Force Headquarters in Abuja by the Boko Haram sect.

The project was said to have been sped up following another deadly attack on the United Nations building in the city on August 23.

It was learnt that the project could also be used to monitor elections, verify the results and help in disaster management



http://www.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=7121:reps-query-$470m-abuja-cctv-contract&Itemid=542

These are some of the projects Nigerians are afraid they will be channeling savings from oil subsidy removal to. Thats N70 billion for a cctv surveillance camera network in Abuja alone.
Same project of similar scale in Lagos and other parts of the world did not cost close to $470m, Nigerians say to no to subsidy removal.