On Thursday, 27th January, 2011, J.K. Randle International hosted a SECURITY SUMMIT (Land; Air; and Sea) which focused on the security challenges which were already festering in Nigeria. The venue was the huge new banquet hall of Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The turnout was truly amazing as papers were delivered by security experts not only from Nigeria but from different parts of the world.
The presence of Nigerians from the diaspora and their very robust scholarly contributions provided solid proof that their sojourn in foreign parts had not blunted their patriotic zeal. The National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, CFR, was the Guest of Honour; and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika who was represented by GOC 18 Division (Lagos) (General Officer Commanding) Brigadier-General K.T.J. Minimah, who later became Chief of Army Staff.
Afterwards, all attempts to ensure that the recommendations were followed with ACTION fell on deaf ears. The only outcome was the award of a N10 billion contract to a Chinese company for the installation of CCTV Cameras in Abuja. Here we are, fifteen years afterwards, the contract appears to have gone the way of so many abandoned projects.
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the $460 million closed-circuit television (CCTV) project awarded to a Chinese firm (ZTE Corporation) for surveillance in Abuja, following concerns that the system has remained non-functional despite Nigeria servicing the loan obtained for it.
This followed a motion of urgent national importance that was moved on Wednesday by Amobi Ogah (LP, Abia) during the plenary, where lawmakers decried the continuous repayment of the loan obtained for the abandoned security infrastructure. It appears to have joined the list of Nigeria’s Abandoned Projects. A Colossal Waste of Resources.