How Far With The NASS’ Probe Into CCTV Projects?

Over the years, concerns have been raised by the Nigeria’s Legislature to probe into most tech-driven contracts awarded in the past by the erstwhile administrations, though tangible support is ostensibly yet to be tendered by the Executive arm.

But recently, the present legislature seemed poised to tactically deploy its proboscis over the long awaited probe, as Nigerians watched with extreme vigour.

One who has hitherto been keenly observing the Nigeria’s public sphere, particularly her political system, might boldly – but not proudly – insinuate that the country is a mirage.

In Physics as a field of study, ‘mirage’ simply means an image that one sees in the distance or in the air especially in very hot weather, but which does not actually exist. On the other hand, in a real-life parlance, the term could be referred to as something in the future that one looks forward to, but that never really happens or shall never actually take place.

Overtime, either in science or our everyday lives, we advertently or unwittingly encounter experiences pertaining to the aforementioned phenomenon, which is more popular or widely used in sciences.

It ought not to be misunderstood if a concerned Nigerian asserts that most Nigerian politicians domiciled in the country could be described as movie artists. It is so, because, the persons that fall within this bracket have showcased to the citizens that they are very good and active in acting, hence should be observed by the teeming viewers.

If not, how could one graciously win a contract worth several millions of naira – expected to be completed within a given time frame – but in the long run, chooses to blatantly abandon it without minding the implications? Funnily enough, even when an onlooker bluntly voices out his feelings concerning the observed anomaly, he might be regarded as a lunatic or an insane Nigerian.

It has seemingly become a norm in this part of the world that completion of projects is not mandatory, hence ought to be treated as elective or optional. This nauseous style of life has lingered for ages till date.

This is the reason, having won a certain contract, an average Nigerian politician would never be mindful or cautious of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) guiding the contract award as if he/she is the beneficiary and equally the benefactor of the contract award.

Little wonder the National Assembly (NASS) – the House of Representatives in particular – has in recent times been apparently making waves to probe virtually all the abandoned projects within the shores of the Nigerian State.

It would be recalled that the 7^th Assembly of the House of Reps under the watch of Mr. Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker, was on a move to probe into the $470 million contract for the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in Nigerian cities, mainly Lagos and Abuja.

Under Tambuwal’s leadership, the lawmakers investigated the contract and the reason the CCTV wasn’t functional. Though as at then, a certain report based on their findings was tendered to the Federal Government (FG) led by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, but no meaningful action was taken on the recommendations.

Subsequently, under the reign of Mr. Yakubu Dogara in the 8^th Assembly, the House once again rigorously revisited the query into the CCTV contract, but its discoveries were reportedly swept under the carpet by the Executive.

In the ongoing 9^th Assembly under the leadership of Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, penultimate year precisely, the legislators vigorously commenced another round of investigations into the abandoned multi-billion naira contracts in the communications sector, starting from 1999 till date.

This time, the move appeared to be more frantic and severe as the House vowed not to only delve into the CCTV contract but all other abandoned projects across the nooks and crannies of the federation.

In his bitter words, the Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee on Abandoned Projects, Mr. Chukwuma Umeoji while addressing the Press during the committee’s inaugural session during the period in review, disclosed that the mandate of the team encompasses investigation of every FG’s abandoned project from the inception of the Fourth Republic to date, with a view to ascertaining the cost, period, and state of completion of the projects as well as the constraints surrounding their intended completion as enshrined in the MOU.

According to the lawmaker “Many of these projects have been abandoned even as many of them have received advanced payments of not less than fifty per cent of contract sum.” He further frowned that government had expended various billions of naira on the said contracts without the people, or the targeted beneficiaries, acquiring the value for the money spent thus far.

Going by this ugly trend relating to abandonment of ongoing projects, how can the teeming citizenry be convinced that the culture of not taking project completion seriously by the contract awardees has been shown the way out, or taken to the waste-bin where it rightly belongs?

It is obvious that if the government fails to deploy the political will targeted to aptly investigate why many projects awarded in the past were dastardly abandoned by the contractors, the present awardees would still toe the lines of their predecessors.

What the system is yearning for is holistic cleansing, and such cannot be actualized by overlooking the several ‘sins’ committed by hundreds of Nigerian politicians to the detriment of millions of citizens.

It’s simply outrageous to hear that just a single individual could pocket what rightly belongs to millions of persons. It’s equally disheartening to acknowledge that many had siphoned the common patrimony of the teeming Nigerians.

Similarly, it’s barbaric and paradoxical to comprehend that most of these ‘criminals’ are walking freely and boldly on the streets of Nigeria and beyond on a daily basis whilst those who steal peanuts, or perhaps nothing, are being burnt to ashes by angry mob. That is the kind of society we find ourselves.

This is, therefore, the ripe time to conduct this proposed cleansing, or never, if the legislators are truly committed to get it right and better. This is needless to say that the NASS is unequivocally expected to aptly utilize its proboscis over this probe.

Truth be told, there are several tech-driven projects that deserved to be probed. Aside the CCTV project, a good example of contracts that turned into wide-goose chase in Nigeria remains the Power project in which the matters arising from it have continued to raise tremendous dusts among concerned Nigerians.

The Executive arm led by President Muhammadu Buhari, on its part, must take into cognizance that excuses cannot anymore be accepted by the troubled Nigerians, hence the need not to pervert the long-awaited justice.

But it’s quite disturbing that many months after the avowal tendered by the federal lawmakers, virtually no follow-up action had been carried out or heard in that regard. Who is then deceiving who?