$470m CCTV Contracts: Reps Committee Summon Top Govt Officials, Others

The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee
probing the $470 million contract for the
provision of closed circuit television cameras
(CCTV) in Abuja and Lagos has summoned the
National Security Adviser (NSA) General
Babagana Monguno (rtd), minister of finance,
Mrs Kemi Adeosun and governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele,
among other top government officials, to shed
light on the matter.
Others invited to the public hearing holding next
week are Inspector-General of Police Solomon
Arase, Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode,
FCT minister Mohammed Musa Bello, minister of
interior General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd),
minister of communications Adebayo Shittu and
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigeria
Communications Commission (NCC) Garba
Dambatta.
Recall that the CCTV contract was awarded to a
Chinese company, ZTE Corporation, by the
immediate past administration of former
President Goodluck Jonathan for the purpose of
enhancing security in the nation’s capital of
Abuja and commercial nerve of Lagos but the
contract was not executed.
The ad hoc committee chaired by Hon. Ahmed
Yarima has also invited stakeholders like ZTE
Corporation of China and its MD in Nigeria;
Nigeria Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT);
BC-TEC Engineering; NETLINK Broadband
Networks Limited; OPEN SKYS Services Limited;
LTS Security and Communication Limited; DG
Debt Management Office (DMO); FIRS chairman;
Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs
Commission (CAC) and the DG Bureau for Public
Procurement (BPP).
Similarly, two former ministers of police affairs
namely Malam Adamu Maina Waziri and Dr
Ibrahim Yakubu Lame as well as two ex-
permanent secretaries in the ministry, Dr Tukur
Ingawa and Bukar Goni Aji with the ministry’s
ex-project officer, Mrs Hannatu Batagarawa
were also invited to appear at the public
hearing.
Hon. Yarima told journalists in Abuja yesterday
that the committee’s mission was to recover
public funds and that anyone found wanting
would be made to face the music.
He said they believed there is continuity in
governance and that current government
officials should have met the records of such
contracts, which was why they have been invited
too.
Yerima added that the committee had already
gathered all relevant information on the matter
and advised President Muhammadu Buhari not
to sit on the outcome of their investigation.