…to prosecute former Permanent Secretary over N3bn maintenance fund
The House of Representatives on Thursday issued a clean health bill to the three former Ministers of Police Affairs and officials of Federal Ministry of Police Affairs over alleged complicity in the award of $470 million closed-circuit television (CCTV) in Lagos and Abuja.
The Ministers who served between 2010 and 2014 when the project was implemented under the National Security Communications System (NPSCS) are: Adamu Waziri; Caleb Olubolade and Jelili Adesina.
The House however recommended the prosecution of James Obeigbu, former Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Police Affairs for deliberately refusing to release the sum of N3 billion approved for operation and maintenance of the stalled CCTV project.
The House had earlier during the consideration of the Ad-hoc Committee chaired by Ahmed Yerima, at the Committee of the Whole, adopted all the 18 recommendations.
Yussuff Lasun, Deputy Speaker who chaired the session however urged the House to revisit the resolution, sequel to a Point of Order raised by Awalu Adaji (PDP-Benue) who noted that one of the indicted Ministers complained of being denied fair hearing by the Ad-hoc Committee, chaired by Ahmed Yerima.
The Adhoc Committee which investigated the contract scandal had recommended the prosecution of the three Ministers over the “rational and motive for the removal and or disappearance of the operational and maintenance costs of the project from its initial proposals, as that singular act contributed to the non-performance of the network.”
While speaking on the point of order raised by the lawmaker, Yerimaat explained that the former Minister made a written submission to the Committee where he explained all he knew about the project.
At this point, the Deputy Speaker asked plenary to dissolve to the Committee of the Whole again, where Adaji asked that recommendation 16 be expunged.
The House adopted the recommendations that “ZTE Nigeria Limited should refund the discrepancy amount certified after the audit exercise or supply necessary equipment and spares of commensurate value as may be required by the Ministry, otherwise, the figure should be deducted from the outstanding debt of $20,247,172 certified by the Ministry of Police Affairs as being owed ZTE for running the network from January to June, 2013.
“That a forensic audit of the outstanding debt being owed ZTE for running the system for several months should be conducted and the actual cost be verified and considered at the exchange rate of US Dollar at that period (2013). Thus, the equivalent of the cost established after the verification in USD in year 2013, should be calculated and paid to ZTE to save the country the extra cost.
“The Executive Arm of Government should not privatise the National Public Security Communication-System (NPSCS). It should be ceded to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), which is the statutory body saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of all security agencies in the country.
“That the Office of the NSA should set up a department that reports directly to the NSA whose mandate would be to direct the activities of the NPSCS, by utilizing the trained engineers on the system from NIGCOMSAT and the Nigeria Police Force to maintain the active elements, as well as, training of other security agencies to join the operations, and to supervise the activities of Managed Service Providers.”
Despite claims by the contractor that the $470m CCTV project under the NPSCS was completed and delivered to the Federal Government in 2012, the Committee find out that only 40 cameras were functioning across Abuja.
