The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to immediately disclose the identities of all local contractors, subcontractors, consultants, vendors, and other entities that benefited from payments under the National Public Security Communication System project in Abuja, commonly referred to as the $460 million Abuja Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) Project.
On May 15, 2023, the Federal High Court ordered the Ministry of Finance to disclose the total amount paid under the $460 million Abuja CCTV loan, the identities of local and Chinese contractors who received the funds, the implementation status of the project, and details relating to the N1.5 billion reportedly paid for the Code of Conduct Bureau headquarters project.
Recently, the Federal Ministry of Finance, in response to SERAP’s contempt proceedings, disclosed that records from the Ministry of Police Affairs indicated that while local subcontractors may have been engaged, there was an absence of detailed subcontracting records identifying specific local companies that directly received funds from the Chinese loan.
The ministry made the disclosure in a letter dated May 15, 2026, and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, R.O. Omachi.
Responding, SERAP, in a letter signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, expressed concern that although the judgment was delivered in May 2023, the ministry released some information only after contempt proceedings were initiated and a Notice to Show Cause was served in January 2026.
According to SERAP, Nigerians still do not know the identities of the local contractors involved in the project. The organisation argued that the absence of such information raises serious concerns about record-keeping, transparency, and accountability, as well as whether the project was implemented in a manner consistent with the public interest.
SERAP stated that the details provided amounted to only partial compliance with the judgment delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, adding that key questions remained unanswered and that further clarification was required to ensure full and effective compliance with the court order.
The organisation acknowledged the steps taken by the ministry to provide some information concerning the Chinese loan drawdown, counterpart funding arrangements, and certain records relating to equipment deliveries connected with the project.
However, SERAP maintained that there was still no explanation regarding the missing 6,035 items linked to the implementation status of the project.
“It remains unclear whether the items were subsequently delivered, whether payment was made for them, whether the contractor defaulted, whether Nigeria suffered any financial loss, and whether any steps were taken to recover public funds,” SERAP stated.
