Nigerian House of Representatives committee moves to halt payments to ZTE over unfulfilled $460 million CCTV project
via Punch Nigeria4 min read
The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the $460 million Closed Circuit Television surveillance project in the Federal Capital Territory has decided to instruct the Central Bank of Nigeria to suspend further payments to ZTE Corporation. This decision follows the committee's frustration with what it described as inconsistencies and a lack of clarity from ZTE regarding the project's scope, locations, and current status. Lawmakers demanded comprehensive documentation from ZTE, including details of installed equipment, project locations, and contact information for the 456 Nigerians reportedly trained to manage the system. The committee chairman, Donald Ojogo, stated the probe was not a witch-hunt but an effort to find answers to public questions. ZTE's Company Secretary, Irene Momoh, claimed the project was completed around 2011/2012, with CCTV equipment supplied and installed in Abuja and Lagos, but could not confirm if the cameras were still operational. Momoh attributed the lack of ongoing maintenance to the government's failure to provide further funding after a six-month maintenance period. Committee members, including Iyawe Esosa and Kolawale Akinlayo, challenged ZTE's claims, citing documents from the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs that indicated installations in locations like Edo and Ekiti States where no cameras were found. Momoh's explanation that he only assumed office in 2023 and that original contract officials were no longer with the compan
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