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

Firstly the idea of chines government loaning us for d project is totally absurd, why not channel the loan through our banking sector if we think Nigeria govt with all d billions earning from d crude oil could not afford to purchase a common cctv.
Secondly why ZTE and why making the contract procedure in secrecy. And thirdly why are we so stupid to destroy ourselves all because of selfish gain out of dubious deal. It is pathetic to see how we ruin ourselves, make a fellow country men suffer for nothing through our sell out to all this SMART foreigners. Nigeria leaders, the most gullible and stupid set of people I can ever imagine of. I think is high time Nigeria should wake up due away with this silly set of Chinese corrupt nonsense. Well at the end same story Naija is dead