Reps Orders Probe Of $470m NPSCS Contract

The House of Representatives on Wednesday directed the relevant committees to investigate the level of compliance with due process in the award of $470 million National Security Communications System (NPSCS) Abuja contract.

The committees are Public Procurement, Aids Loans and Debt Management, Information Technology and Police Affairs.

The committees are also to find out the terms of contract and determine if the execution of the project (Abuja contract) by ZTE Corporation was in conformity with due process.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the motion titled : “Need to investigate $470 million NPSCS Abuja contract,’’ was unanimously adopted without debate by the lawmakers.

The rule of the House is that motions relating to infrastructure need no debate.

Moving the motion, Hassan Saleh (PDP–Benue), said that due to the security challenges facing the country, the Federal Government entered into contractual agreement with a Chinese firm ZTE Corporation to install NPSCS in the FCT for the sum of $470 million.

According to the lawmaker, the project was conceived by the government to enable security agencies deal with the national security challenges and emergency situations in the country.

Saleh added that the accumulation of foreign loans to the tune of $600 million soon after Nigeria settled the Paris Club debt without recourse to the National Assembly for approval was not right on the part of the executive arm of government.

He alleged that ZTE Corporation had insisted that the contractual details of the transaction should not be made public.

According to him, the Federal Government has made a 15 per cent down payment of N70.50 million of the total contract sum.

In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha (PDP–Imo) ruled that “in keeping with the rules of this House, the motion is referred to the relevant committees for further action.”

Eleven bills were presented to the House for first reading.