THE House of Representatives has launched a fresh investigation into the controversial $460 million Chinese loan secured by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2010 for the installation of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a project that remains uncompleted more than a decade later despite continuous debt servicing.
News Point Nigeria reports that the loan, sourced from the China EXIM Bank, was intended to finance the installation of surveillance cameras in strategic parts of Abuja to bolster security and deter criminal activity.
The project was awarded to ZTE Communications, a Chinese technology firm, under a bilateral arrangement signed in Beijing by then-Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga.
The facility was part of a $600 million soft credit package, structured for repayment over ten years after an initial ten-year grace period. However, fifteen years later, the capital city remains largely uncovered by CCTV surveillance even as Nigeria continues to repay the loan with public funds.
At its plenary on Wednesday, the House adopted a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Amobi Ogah (Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, Abia State), calling for an immediate inquiry into the utilisation of the loan and the current state of the abandoned project.
Ogah’s motion, titled “Need to Investigate the Rising Insecurity and Loss of Lives in the Federal Capital Territory Despite the CCTV Project Secured with a Chinese Loan of $460 Million”, expressed deep concern that the project had failed to achieve its objective of enhancing public safety in the FCT.
“The administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, acting in good conscience, sought to tackle insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory through the installation of CCTV cameras to monitor criminal activity,” Ogah said.
“Yet, despite the heavy investment and continuous servicing of the loan, there is no evidence of functionality. Instead, insecurity in Abuja has worsened, with rising incidents of violent crimes and loss of lives.”
The lawmaker described the situation as a lose-lose nightmare for Nigeria, stressing that the country is effectively paying for a non-functional security infrastructure delivered by the same contractor that benefited from the loan proceeds.
He lamented that the failure of the project has left Abuja vulnerable to escalating security threats, including kidnappings, car theft, and attacks in residential and commercial districts.
“This project was meant to safeguard the lives and property of residents in the capital city. What we have instead is a huge debt burden and an incomplete surveillance system that has contributed nothing to national security,” Ogah stated.
The committees are to determine:
How the $460 million loan was disbursed and utilised;
The level of work done by ZTE Communications;
The contractual terms of the agreement between Nigeria and China EXIM Bank;
And whether the government has derived any measurable benefit from the project.
Lawmakers also requested the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Ministry of Interior to provide detailed reports on the project’s execution and accountability records.
The Abuja CCTV project, first announced in 2010, was conceived as part of the National Public Security Communications System (NPSCS), a larger initiative to improve intelligence gathering and emergency response through a nationwide fibre-optic network.
By 2012, the Federal Government claimed the project had reached 60% completion, but multiple technical and financial challenges stalled progress. Several audits and parliamentary probes over the years failed to produce conclusive answers about the project’s operational status.
Despite this, Nigeria continues to service the loan, raising renewed public concern about debt accountability, project oversight, and transparency in foreign-funded infrastructure deals.