The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given the Minister of Finance, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, a 48-hour ultimatum to reveal the identities of all local contractors and vendors involved in the $460 million Abuja CCTV project.
This demand followed a formal response from the Ministry of Finance, signed by its Permanent Secretary, R. O. Omachi, which stated that while local subcontractors may have been engaged, the Ministry of Police Affairs lacks detailed records identifying the specific domestic companies that received funds directly from the Chinese loan.
The dispute stems from a May 2023 Federal High Court order issued by Justice Emeka Nwite, which mandated the state to publish a comprehensive financial breakdown of the surveillance network.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare in a statement on Sunday expressed deep concern over this admission, noting that the ministry only provided partial details after the organization initiated contempt proceedings in January 2026 to enforce a May 2023 judgment.
SERAP stated that the ongoing failure to disclose these names raises serious issues regarding record-keeping, transparency, and public accountability.
Although the government clarified that the principal contractor was ZTE Corporation of China and that the project was funded via a $399.5 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China alongside a $70.5 million Nigerian counterpart contribution, the status of the project remains dangerously unclear.
Specifically, inventory records show that 6,035 pieces of equipment out of the expected 68,005 units were never delivered, and the ministry has failed to clarify whether any cameras are currently operational or where they were installed.
With persistent insecurity and violent crime threatening residents in the Federal Capital Territory and across states like Benue and Oyo, SERAP argued that full transparency is essential for a project financed through public debt that Nigerians must repay.
The organization warned that it will proceed with its legal contempt actions against the Ministry of Finance if the outstanding contractor identities, contract values, and asset delivery verifications are not fully disclosed within the given timeframe.