Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a formal demand to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, urging him to immediately disclose the identities of all local contractors, subcontractors, consultants, vendors, and other entities that received payments under the National Public Security Communication System project in Abuja. The ₦460 million project is more commonly referred to as the 'Abuja CCTV Project'.
The organisation gave the minister 14 days to comply or face legal action. The demand follows the Federal Ministry of Finance’s recent disclosure that while local subcontractors may have been engaged, detailed records identifying the specific local companies that received funds from the Chinese loan “are absent.” The admission was contained in a letter dated 15 May 2026 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, R. O. Omachi. The letter was written in response to SERAP’s earlier Freedom of Information request and subsequent contempt proceedings. The project, which dates back to a 2010 agreement with the Chinese government, was intended to install thousands of CCTV cameras across the Federal Capital Territory and other major cities to enhance public security.
SERAP’s latest demand is part of a long-running battle to enforce a landmark judgment delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on 15 May 2023. In that judgment, the court ordered the Federal Government to account for the spending of the $460 million Chinese loan and to publish the total amount of money paid to both Chinese and local companies, including the names of the contractors involved, as well as the status of the project’s implementation. The court also ordered the government to clarify whether a separate payment of N1.5 billion for the construction of the Code of Conduct Bureau headquarters was part of another Chinese loan.
Despite the court order, the government failed to comply for nearly three years. In January 2026, SERAP initiated contempt proceedings and served a notice to show cause, which appears to have prompted the Ministry’s partial response in May. The Ministry’s letter, while acknowledging the engagement of local subcontractors, admitted that it could not provide their names or the specific amounts paid to them. “Records from the Ministry of Police Affairs indicate that while local subcontractors may have been engaged, there is an absence of detailed subcontracting records identifying specific local companies that received funds directly from the Chinese loan,” the letter stated. SERAP described the Ministry’s response as a partial compliance that leaves key questions unanswered.
In its new demand, SERAP insisted that the government must provide not only the names of local entities that benefited from the $460 million loan but also full details of any payments made to them. The group argued that the public has a right to know how the funds were spent, especially as Nigeria continues to service the loan. The organisation also demanded information on the current operational status of the CCTV project, which has been widely described as a failure. “Nigerians still do not know exactly the names of local contractors for the project. The absence of this information raises serious concerns about record‑keeping, transparency and accountability, and whether the project was implemented in a manner consistent with the public interest,” SERAP stated.
The group expressed concern that the Ministry only released partial information after contempt proceedings were initiated. “We are concerned that although the judgment was delivered in May 2023, the Ministry only released some information after we commenced contempt proceedings and served a notice to show cause in January 2026,” the organisation said. SERAP noted that the details provided so far amount to only partial compliance with Justice Nwite’s judgment, leaving many questions unanswered.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Ad‑Hoc Committee investigating the project has continued its work. In April 2026, the committee directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to suspend further disbursements to ZTE Corporation, the Chinese company that handled the project, until the company provides satisfactory explanations on the execution of the contract. Lawmakers expressed frustration over what they described as inconsistencies and vague responses from ZTE officials regarding the project’s scope, deployment locations, and current operational status. The committee also demanded a full inventory of all equipment supplied and installed, as well as details of the 456 Nigerians reportedly trained to operate and maintain the system.
ZTE representatives told the committee that the project was completed between 2011 and 2012, but they could not confirm the current functionality of the system. The company blamed the deterioration on the lack of continued funding from the government for maintenance. Lawmakers, however, disputed ZTE’s claims about the geographical spread of the installations, citing official records that indicated installations in Edo State, which committee members said were not visible on the ground. In Ekiti State, lawmakers insisted there was no evidence of deployment at all.
SERAP has given Mr. Oyedele 14 days to comply with its demand for full disclosure of the local contractors. The group has warned that failure to comply will leave it with no option but to return to court to enforce the judgment. As Nigeria continues to service the loan for a project that is widely considered a failure, the demand for transparency has taken on renewed urgency. The Abuja CCTV project, conceived in 2010, was meant to be a cornerstone of urban security. Instead, it has become a symbol of wasteful spending and lack of accountability, with Nigerians continuing to pay for a system that has failed to deliver.
The outcome of SERAP’s demand will be closely watched. If the government fails to disclose the information, the courts may be asked to intervene once again. But as SERAP has shown, legal action can eventually compel transparency, even if it takes years. For now, the ball is in Mr. Oyedele’s court. The minister must decide whether to disclose the names of the local contractors and finally answer the question that has lingered for over a decade: who benefited from the $460 million Abuja CCTV project?
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