The Federal Government has told the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that it has no detailed records of local contractors involved in the controversial $460m Abuja CCTV project financed through a Chinese loan.
The Federal Ministry of Finance disclosed this in response to ongoing contempt proceedings initiated by SERAP over the government’s alleged failure to fully comply with a Federal High Court judgment ordering the release of details surrounding the project.
In a letter dated May 15, 2026, and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, R.O. Omachi, the government stated that records from the Ministry of Police Affairs showed that local subcontractors “may have been engaged,” but there were no detailed records identifying the specific Nigerian companies that received funds from the Chinese loan.
Reacting to the revelation, SERAP described the situation as alarming and raised concerns over transparency, accountability, and record-keeping in the handling of public funds.
In a letter dated May 23, 2026, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said Nigerians still do not know the identities of local contractors linked to the project despite a court judgment delivered in May 2023.
“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 said.
The organisation noted that the Ministry only released partial information after SERAP commenced contempt proceedings and served a Notice to Show Cause in January 2026.
SERAP argued that the absence of records on local beneficiaries raises serious questions about how the project was executed and whether it served the public interest.
The group also faulted the government for failing to account for 6,035 project items reportedly missing from inventory records. According to the Ministry, 61,970 items were delivered out of the expected 68,005 units under the National Public Security Communication System project, popularly known as the Abuja CCTV project.
SERAP further demanded clarification on whether the missing items were paid for, delivered, or recovered, as well as details on the actual installation and functionality of the surveillance cameras across Abuja.
The organisation stressed that Nigerians deserve to know whether the multi-million-dollar project improved security, especially amid persistent insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory and other parts of the country.
According to the Ministry, the Federal Government obtained $399.5m from the Export-Import Bank of China between 2011 and 2013 for the project, while the Nigerian government provided an additional $70.5m as counterpart funding.
The Ministry also confirmed that Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE Corporation served as the principal contractor for the project, with payments processed through the Bank of China, Shenzhen Branch.
SERAP has now given the Federal Ministry of Finance 48 hours to fully disclose the names of all local contractors, consultants, vendors, and subcontractors involved in the project or face continued contempt proceedings.
