Reps summon NSA, Emefiele, others over $470m CCTV contract

Reps summon NSA, Emefiele, others over $470m CCTV contract
Godwin-Emefiele-CBN

By Joshua Egbodo
 Abuja
House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee probing the alleged fraud in the $470 million contract for the installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Abuja and Lagos has invited the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd), the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to explain what went wrong.
Also to appear before the committees are the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, Lagos state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, FCT Minister Mohammed Bello, Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd), Minister of communications, Adebayo Shittu, and Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Garba Dambatta.
 The contract was awarded to a Chinese firm, ZTE Corporation during the reign of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, for the purpose of security in Abuja and Lagos, but was not executed to date.
The Ahmed Yarima-led committee also invited ZTE Corporation of China and its MD in Nigeria; the Nigeria Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT); BC-TEC Engineering; NETLINK Broadband Networks Limited; OPEN SKYS Services Limited; LTS Security and Communication Limited; DG Debt Management Office (DMO); FIRS chairman; Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the DG Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) to appear in the investigative hearing, date for which has not been fixed.
Also, two former ministers of police affairs, Malam Adamu Maina Waziri and Dr Ibrahim Lame and two former permanent secretaries, Dr Tukur Ingawa, and Bukar Goni Aji, as well as ex-project officer in the ministry, Mrs. Hannatu Batagarawa, were summoned.
 Hon. Yarima told journalists in Abuja yesterday that their mission was to recover public funds and that anybody involved would be brought to book, adding that they  believed there is continuity in governance and that current officials should have met the records of such contracts.