The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into Abuja’s insecurity despite a $460 million CCTV project.
Lawmakers said the non-functional system shows waste and failure of accountability.
The House of Representatives has set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the persistent insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) despite the federal government’s $460 million loan from China for a citywide CCTV surveillance project.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Donald Ojogo of Ondo State, was inaugurated during plenary on Wednesday, October 22, following a motion of urgent national importance moved by Hon. Amobi Ogah.
In his presentation, Ogah stressed that safeguarding lives and property remains the foremost duty of government, lamenting that Abuja’s worsening security situation reflects a breakdown in accountability and poor oversight of a project originally intended to improve public safety.
He reminded lawmakers that in 2010, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, through then Finance Minister Dr. Olusegun Aganga, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese firm ZTE Communications to install CCTV cameras at key locations across the FCT. The system was meant to support law enforcement agencies in tracking and preventing crimes.
Ogah, however, noted that despite the massive investment and ongoing loan repayments, the surveillance network has remained non-functional. He described the situation as deeply regrettable, saying that insecurity in the nation’s capital has instead worsened, with frequent incidents of abduction and violent crime.
According to him, Nigeria is now burdened with servicing a failed project that has neither improved safety nor justified the financial cost.
Following deliberations, the House directed the ad hoc committee to investigate the CCTV contract in full including the disbursement of funds, implementation details, and causes of failure and to submit recommendations on how to strengthen security infrastructure in the FCT.
