The House of Representatives has launched a comprehensive investigation into the $460 million Chinese loan obtained by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The loan, secured to fund the procurement and installation of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems across key locations in Abuja, was meant to strengthen security in Nigeria’s capital. The resolution to probe the matter followed a motion of urgent public importance raised by Hon. Amobi Ogah, representing the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, during a plenary session.

Hon. Ogah stressed the need to revisit the project, citing the alarming rise in insecurity within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He recalled that the project began in 2010 under the Federal Government’s initiative to tackle growing threats to safety and public order. However, despite the massive financial outlay, the CCTV network is widely regarded as either non-functional or incomplete, leaving Abuja exposed to crime and violence.

The loan, sourced from the China Exim Bank, formed part of a $600 million soft credit arrangement, featuring a ten-year grace period followed by a ten-year repayment term. The contract for the CCTV installation was awarded to ZTE Corporation, a Chinese telecommunications firm, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Beijing in 2010, led by then Finance Minister Dr. Olusegun Aganga. Despite Nigeria continuing to service this debt, the absence of visible results has fueled public outrage and legislative scrutiny.

Lawmakers raised fresh concerns that the nation continues to pay for an unfulfilled project while insecurity intensifies. Reports of rising kidnappings, robberies, and homicides across Abuja have heightened frustration over what has been described as a “lose-lose scenario”, Nigeria servicing a loan for infrastructure that seemingly does not exist.

This is not the first time the controversial project has drawn parliamentary attention. In 2019, the 9th Assembly’s Committee on Finance questioned the Ministry of Finance about the loan’s status, where then Minister Zainab Ahmed confirmed ongoing payments but could not verify the project’s completion. Later, in 2023, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) won a court ruling compelling the Federal Government to disclose detailed spending records of the $460 million CCTV project, following a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

During the latest plenary debate, several lawmakers expressed strong support for the investigation. Hon. Billy Osawaru urged his colleagues to uphold their oversight duties and demand accountability, warning that unchecked misuse of funds erodes public confidence. Similarly, Hon. Ahmad Jaha from Borno State insisted on a full audit of the feasibility studies, procurement process, and equipment delivery, questioning how such a large expenditure yielded no visible outcomes.

The House has now mandated its Committees on National Security and Intelligence, Finance, and Public Accounts to jointly conduct a thorough inquiry into the loan’s acquisition, the contract’s execution, and the project’s present operational state. The committees are expected to report their findings to the plenary for further legislative action, a move lawmakers say is essential to uncovering one of Nigeria’s most glaring examples of financial and infrastructural mismanagement.