Where are the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that purportedly gulped $470 million in the Federal Capital Territory? Questions about their existence and effectiveness within Abuja are being asked, as bombing of the capital city at will by Boko Haram insurgents has not abated.
Security experts and residents have at different times tagged the project dead on arrival and expressed doubts that the cameras ever worked. In several reports done by LEADERSHIP, the federal government had been called to question over the functionality of the cameras.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had recently granted an ex-parte application, seeking an order of mandamus to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the controversial contract awarded to Chinese company, ZTE Corporation by the federal government.
It was also reported recently that the presidency following the failure of the CCTVs to contribute in the fight against insurgency had turned down a request by the Ministry of Police Affairs to pay additional N3billion to the contractor handling the project.

LEADERSHIP findings following the blast that rocked the EMAB Plaza in Wuse II on Wednesday afternoon, which left at least 24 people dead, show that if truly the CCTVs existed around the busy shopping complex, the suspected bombers would have been identified by now.
A senior police officer who spoke under condition of anonymity told LEADERSHIP weekend that only a few of the CCTV cameras are currently working. The reason for the breakdown of the cameras, according to him, includes lack of maintenance as well as power failure. “The truth is that some of them are not working. Definitely, not all of them can work. Some were faulty from day one. Others may suffer power failure. Moreover, not all parts of Abuja, even within the metropolis, are covered,” the source said.

The officer also pointed out that the terrorists always try to avoid areas where there are visible CCTVs. “Terrorists are very intelligent crooks. When they want to select their target, they select places where the eyes of the camera will not come. That’s where you hear things like CCTV cameras serving as deterrent. If they want to strike in Abuja I’m sure they will select their target away from the CCTVs,” the officer said.
Also, the coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr Mike Omeri, while giving an update on the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls and the fight against insurgency, collaborated LEADERSHIP findings when he revealed that the FCT lacked adequate CCTV to monitor activities in the metropolis and called on private organisations and public-spirited individuals to install the CCTV in their premises.

“The minister of FCT has said they are working. He said they are working on improving them. CCTV is not everywhere in the city; that is why we are calling on citizens to install CCTV and that is one way they can contribute to the fight against terrorism,” Omeri said.
T
he coordinator, who is also the director-general of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, said the situation in the country demanded that everyone cooperate with the security agencies to rid the country of insurgents. He said though the CCTV cameras within the city are working, they are not in some parts of the city.

Experts express doubts over the functionality of Abuja CCTV
Meanwhile, security experts have expressed doubts over the operations of the several CCTV cameras installed in Abuja. Some of them who spoke to LEADERSHIP Weekend yesterday doubted the functionality of the CCTV in the capital city.
A former director of State Security Service (SSS), Mr Mike Ejiofor, was of the view that most of those installed in Abuja are not functioning.

“From what we have seen, I doubt if the installed cameras are really working. We had up to three bombings now and we have not been told of any outcome from investigations from the cameras. When incidents like this happens, the cameras are supposed to pick up people who are involved in the crime but, so far, I don’t know whether we have that facility or the existing ones are really functioning,” he said.

Also, a former commissioner of police in the FCT, Mr Lawrence Alobi, while responding to LEADERSHIP Weekend, said the importance of CCTV camera cannot be overemphasised in combating crimes. The ex-police boss questioned the sincerity of those who handled the installation of CCTV in Abuja.

“The CCTV in Abuja, how functional are they? Who awarded the contracts? Are they functioning? Where are they located? How effective are they? What has been achieved from them and when were they installed? Are they CCTVs being maintained? These are the questions we should be asking,” he said.
He also urged the federal government to come up with a policy of making all offices, businesses both public and private install CCTV cameras to check crimes in the country. He reminded all that the terrorists who bombed Boston in the United Stated were apprehended through a CCTV installed in a private restaurant.
“If it can be replicated in Nigeria, it will go a long way in helping us to checkmate insurgency in Nigeria,” Alobi said.




http://leadership.ng/news/376272/470m-waste-cameras-just-metres-latest-abuja-bomb-blast-scene-provided-clues

PDP---------------------------------Power!!!!!!

How will cctv stop a determined bomber?

The Abuja cctvs are powered by Solar panels, so why is he talking about power failure?

Dem don chop all the money. Awon were radarada

Sad story. Billions wasted and stolen. Our govt has failed. Nema is the only active institution today

Unfortunately Nigerians do not understand the concept of asking critical questions.

We are not yet practicing true democracy as it should be.

This should be a case of Nigerians living in Abuja, writing to their representatives in government, seeking to know what has gone wrong with all these dubious CCTV installations.

We are a nation of deceit, produced by deceit, and operating under deceit.

Yet none of these i too know on nairaland Has ever been to the Police department to find out the true state of things.

Later they will blame the APC for their own failure, How can a city with $470m worth of CCTV be bombed regularly and not a single culprit have been identified through the CCTV, Some things just beats Logic

Those cameras are dead. They have not bin working since after the 1st week it was installed.

Pple have bin kidnapped and robbed in front of those cameras.

Welcome to Nigeria.

The $470 million has gone the Nigerian way of awarding contracts - as usual not much if any thing to show for it.

You mean that China station on DSTV is now in Abuja (close to Emab); was affected by the blast and is no longer functioning? wow. I hope they recover quickly.


#NaJokeO

E go better

It was never functioning

HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE CCTV TO WORK ...HAD ANYTHING EVER WORKED IN NIGERIA FROM SATELLITE ...TO ORDINARY CCTV...WHY CANT THE SATELLITES WE LAUNCHED GIVE US IMAGES IF TERRORIST

MAY THE SOUL OF DEPARTED REST IN PEACE

TO MY BROTHER EMMAB..HE IS FROM MY VILLAGE IN NNEWI SOUTH ...PLS TAKE HEART...IT HURTS TO BE A NIGERIAN INSTEAD OF BIAFRAN..IN MIDST OF MUSLIM TROUBLE MAKERS


GOD WILL SET US FREE IJN

Shegman22:


f the Chibok schoolgirls and the fight against insurgency, collaborated LEADERSHIP findings when he revealed that the FCT lacked adequate CCTV to monitor activities in the metropolis and called on private organisations and public-spirited individuals to install the CCTV in their premises.

“The minister of FCT has said they are working. He said they are working on improving them. CCTV is not everywhere in the city; that is why we are calling on citizens to install CCTV and that is one way they can contribute to the fight against terrorism,” Omeri said.
T
he coordinator, who is also the director-general of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, said the situation in the country demanded that everyone cooperate with the security agencies to rid the country of insurgents. He said though the CCTV cameras within the city ar

We provide private water for ourselves, fuel our generators, send our kids to private schools, hire 'Mai-Guards' to secure our properties, some even contribute money to patch roads and now we are to install CCTV ourselves, very soon we are going to be hiring private policemen!!

What is the use of the Government then?

$470 million dollars ke...naija ever failing..the cameras are so dead that people get rapedd infront of d cctv itself

.com:
E go better

yes oh! e go better ...

seanet02: PDP---------------------------------Power!!!!!!

Nigeria is pathetic!

Oh my gosh! With this huge sum sunk into the CCTV project, yet nothing to show for it. We really need to come together and help ourselves. This is not an issue of PDP vs APC, North vs South or even Muslims vs Christians. Its a fight between the ruling elites and the poor masses. Nigerians need to wake up!!!

The CCTV stop functioning before April 2013 according to this thread===========================>>>https://www.nairaland.com/1274206/470m-abuja-cctv-cameras-solar-panel-packup
So $470 000 000 is gone, anyway that is chicken change compared to $20 000 000 000. I bow for federal Govt

Why waste such an amount on cctv instead they should buy ,na gun and give every nigerian just like in texas.......that is the real definition of power to the people

CCTV that some people used to hammer. I am not sure there is one CCTV working in Abuja.

From my childhood days it has always been corruption here nd there in government. Common movies like NCIS-Los Angeles!! Which is although a movie but it shows clearly how americans track criminals down in that country via a standardized functioning CCTV . But in Naija everybody in government looks for every possible way to embezzle money either for projects or something else. Common CCTV worth $470m which the money has been gushed out,but today all the foolish thieves in government do is to hang empty casing calling it a camera. I know little by little nemesis will catch up with all thieves in Govt allowing boko to kill our PEOPLE. God Bless Nigeria

Ah swr Jona na slow poison.. Wicked nigga juz choppin our moni. Dia ris God oh

Onlinebizexpert: Why waste such an amount on cctv instead they should buy ,na gun and give every nigerian just like in texas.......that is the real definition of power to the people

That one go hard small for naija o
U know how desperate the Eastern and southern brothers could be?
How animalistic the northern brothers could be?
and how daft the western brothers could be?

The primary responsibility of any government is security. Our current government has failed completely in terms of security and crisis management.

There is no excuse for a corporate leader who blames his competitors for his inability to steer a company to profit.
GEJ has all the nation's security apparatus under his control and if he can't crush every saboteurs even if its from opposition Party or any Northern Leader then he has no reason sitting in Aso Rock enjoying tax payers' N3million daily on food alone. What we want is result not excuses!!!

Chai...Jonathan...There's God OOoº°˚ ˚°ºoo