Nigeria’s House of Representatives has moved to probe the Federal Government’s investment of $460 million in CCTV camera installations across Abuja, amid growing concerns over rising crime and the project’s failure to function.
The resolution was reached after a motion by Rep. Amobi Ogah (LP–Abia) was adopted during Wednesday’s plenary.
Ogah said the security of lives and property remains a core duty of government. He explained that the CCTV system was introduced under former President Goodluck Jonathan to monitor criminal activity, track offenders and enhance security surveillance in the nation’s capital.
He further recalled that in 2010, then-Finance Minister Dr Olusegun Aganga led a delegation to China, where a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with ZTE Communications for the execution of the project.
Funding was secured through a $460 million loan from China EXIM Bank, drawn from a $600 million soft credit facility with a 10-year grace period and repayment scheduled over the following decade.
Ogah expressed dismay that despite the significant expenditure and loan obligations, the CCTV infrastructure has failed to deliver any meaningful security benefits.
“Instead of improving safety, crime has escalated in Abuja. We now have daily incidents of violent crimes going unchecked due to the absence of functional surveillance,” he said.
He described the situation as a national embarrassment, stating that Nigeria is “paying heavily for a non-operational CCTV project carried out by a Chinese company, using a loan obtained from a Chinese bank.”
In his ruling, Deputy Speaker Rep. Benjamin Kalu referred the matter for further legislative action and directed that an ad hoc committee be set up to conduct a thorough investigation.
