House of Reps Directs CBN to Halt Payments to ZTE Over $460 Million FCT CCTV Project Discrepancies

The House of Reps orders CBN to suspend payments to ZTE as lawmakers investigate discrepancies in a $460m FCT surveillance project and missing installations.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 15, 2026, 6:11 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Leadership

Suspension of Disbursement Pending Investigation

The House of Representatives has officially directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to halt further payments to ZTE Corporation. This directive is part of an ongoing investigation into the execution of a $460 million Chinese loan intended for the installation of a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance system in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The House ad-hoc committee, led by Hon. Donald Ojogo, expressed profound dissatisfaction with the "vague responses" provided by the company during a hearing in Abuja on Tuesday, citing a severe lack of transparency regarding the project’s actual deployment.

Lawmakers Dispute Installation Claims

During the hearing, ZTE representative Irene Momoh stated that the project was completed between 2011 and 2012, primarily focusing on Abuja and Lagos. However, several lawmakers strongly contested these assertions, citing official records from the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs that listed installations in states such as Edo and Ekiti. Hon. Iyawe Esosa and Hon. Kolawale Akinlayo both insisted that no such facilities exist in the locations claimed by the company. The committee has now mandated ZTE to provide a verifiable inventory of all equipment nationwide and the precise coordinates of every installation.

Uncertainty Over System Functionality

One of the most contentious points of the hearing was the current state of the surveillance network. Under questioning, Momoh admitted that while the equipment was delivered years ago, the company could not confirm if the system is presently functional. ZTE attributed the project’s decline to the Nigerian government's failure to provide sustained funding for maintenance following the initial handover. Lawmakers reacted with outrage, questioning how a $460 million investment could be allowed to deteriorate without a robust continuity framework or clear custody by government agencies.