THE depth of corruption and
incompetence that pervades Nigeria’s public service is on display once
again in the unfolding Federal Government’s $430 million surveillance
camera contract.
Not only has the government wasted a huge sum on
another failed project, it may be delaying a similar and more
transparent project by the Lagos State Government. The National Assembly
should not relent in its efforts to unravel the mess and bring culpable
public officers to book.
The latest national embarrassment
involves the Nigeria Public Security Communications System, formed in
response to the dire insecurity in the country. A main component of the
NPSCS is the installation of Closed Circuit Television Cameras in Abuja,
the federal capital, and Lagos, the country’s economic powerhouse.
Among the issues the parliament should demand answers to is why the
2,000 CCTV cameras claimed to have been installed in the two cities are
not working. Initiated in 2009, the CCTV project entailed Nigeria making
a down payment of $70.5 million (15 per cent) while China’s Eximbank
provided the balance of $399.5 million as a loan to be repaid at three
per cent interest.
While the project, awarded to China’s
ZTE Corporation, has not been completed two years after it should have,
the few cameras installed are mere decorations; some have been
vandalised, or damaged by exposure. The majority of the cameras have not
been installed. Meanwhile, reports from the Federal Capital Territory
indicate rampant crime: robberies, house-breaking, carjacking and
pickpocketing, with the criminals operating while surrounded by CCTV
cameras that don’t work.
This is one scandal that should not
be allowed to be swept under the carpet like so many have been. The
nation is under siege. Criminal activities have reached a level where an
unprecedented number of military units are permanently engaged in
internal security operations across the country, even when the country
is not facing an external enemy. The Federal Government devoted almost
N1 trillion last year and a similar amount this year to security,
underscoring the precarious state of public safety. The state
governments have similarly taken to allotting ever more resources to
funding the police, a federal monopoly under our perverse federal
system, while corporate bodies are also providing support. It is sheer
callousness and cynical disdain for public safety for some officials to
play the usual corrupt games with the CCTV project.
The introduction of CCTV has been one
of the best weapons against crime.
Across the world, CCTV surveillance
has been standardised and is being used in major cities. In the United
Kingdom, the average person is likely to be caught on camera as many as
300 times a day. It was CCTV footage that enabled the United States law
enforcement officers to quickly identify and track down the perpetrators
of the recent Boston Marathon bombing. But Nigerians are paying a
heavy price for the corruption of their government and the chicanery of
the parliament. Way back in 2011, the House of Representatives had known
that the FG/ZTE contract was faulty. But it did little beyond its usual
barking. Nigerians do not know the outcome of the investigation the
House ordered its joint committee on public procurement, aid, loans/debt
management, information technology and police affairs to conduct into
the contract. Hassan Saleh, a member of the House, had alleged that ZTE
installed substandard CCTV cameras. His more alarming allegation was
that ZTE had built into the agreement a condition that details of the
contract should not be made public.
That is a serious issue. Nigerian
laws do not permit secrecy in public procurement and all the officials
who negotiated this contract should be exposed and severely punished.
They should not be allowed to take cover under the guise of national
security. Banks, an increasing number of corporate organisations and
even individuals, have installed CCTV systems; there is no mystique
about it and it is available in the open market.
The Lagos State Government, which has
a plan to install 4,000 CCTV cameras to help in crime and traffic
management should no longer wait for a Federal Government that continues
to exhibit irresponsible behaviour, but should go right ahead with its
own solar power-based plan. Other methods such as better streets
lighting and more police patrols should be vigorously explored. Other
states should immediately follow suit as the security of lives and
property of their people is paramount.
The National Assembly should take its
oversight function seriously and reopen the CCTV case. ZTE has been
enmeshed in controversies elsewhere, such as in Norway, where mobile
operator, Telnor, is reportedly reviewing its existing contracts with
the Chinese firm, citing breach of code of conduct, while the
Philippines cancelled negotiations on installation of a broadband
network with ZTE allegedly on ethical grounds.
The allegation that
N10.8 billion worth of import waivers were granted to ZTE in pursuance
of the contract should also be probed.
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