Reps to confirm contractor’s claim on $470m CCTV project

The House of Representatives has concluded plans to inspect the $470 million national security communications system (NPSCS) often referred to as the closed circuit television (CCTV) project.

Chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing into “why the project still lay prostrate”, Alhaji Ahmed Yerima, who disclosed the plan said that the fact finding mission would take the panel members to Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.

Speaking during an interactive session with stakeholders of the NPSCS project at the National Assembly complex, Yerima justified the planned inspection, saying “We have reached the stage where we have to go out there and confirm things for ourselves. We have to be sure if the facilities are on ground and authenticate them and chart a path forward. We do not intend to cry over spilled milk.”

ZTE Nigeria Managing Director, Hao Fuqiang, in his submission reiterated that the NPSCS project was completed and delivered to the Federal Government as one of world’s best Video Surveillance System (VSS).

According to Fuqiang, “the NPSCS project is made up of five components or subsystems comprising Global Open Trunking Architecture (GoTa) Sub-system: This is the dominant component of the system. It is a CDMA-based voice and data telecommunications system with national coverage. It operates through 2Nos Mobile Switch Centre (MSC) with one each in Lagos and Abuja, 12Nos Base Station Controller (BSC), 675 Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and 21 microwave repeaters. The GoTa system supports the deployment of 1.5 million subscriber lines. He said it also includes video surveillance subsystem which comprises of 2000 surveillance cameras with a thousand each installed in Abuja and Lagos respectively.

He noted: “This is the easily noticed component of the project. The application of solar solutions in this subsystem was informed by the electricity power challenges in the country and the need to ensure sustained operations of the cameras wherever they are installed. This component is only about 12 per cent of the total package of the project.

Fuqiang, who insisted that ZTE completed the execution of the project and that acceptance certificates were issued by the Federal Government indicating that the project was successfully completed and functioning, said any perception that the project was not working was unfounded.

He disclosed that the GoTa system was used by the Police and the Presidential security on several occasions. “These include the inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan first term, the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Abuja and other events hosted at the Eagles Square Abuja.