- Reps Query FG On Failed $460m Abuja CCTV Project
The Chairman House of Representative on Finance, James Faleke, at the 2020 budget defence on Thursday queried the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning on why the Federal Government is still servicing loans on failed projects.
Faleke, representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, laid emphasis on the $460 million Abuja CCTV project that is yet to function after taking a loan from China.
He explained that the Federal Government is currently servicing loans and yet value for the money borrowed is not seen.
“Before this administration, we collected some loans and the one that strikes me the most is the $460m for CCTV installation in Abuja.
“I want to know the position of this loan. I am sure we are paying back, but the CCTV is not working.
“Any time we take loan from China, the Chinese will come and do the job, they will bring all their equipment, the personnel and the goods and yet we do not have value for the money, especially that of the CCTV.
“Where are we? I need you to look into it and send us a memo on this particular project,” he asked.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed in her response while trying to defend the 2020 budget proposed by her ministry, agreed that the Federal Government is still servicing loans.
“We are servicing the loan; but on the project, we will have to ask the FCT authority because the project was deployed in the FCTA. I have no information on the status of the CCTV project.
“The conditions of the loans that we take from China always will be that a Chinese company will provide the infrastructure services,” Ahmed noted.
The cameras were to be accompanied with 37 switch rooms, MW backbone, 37 coalition emergency response systems, 38 video conference sub-systems, 37 e-police systems, six emergency communication vehicles and 1.5 million lines for subscription.