<p>Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, asking her to “urgently provide information on the total amount of money paid to contractors from the $460 million loan obtained in 2010 from China to fund the apparently failed Abuja Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) contract, the loan which the Federal Government has continued to re-pay.”</p>



<p> ;SERAP urged Mrs Ahmed to “disclose specific details
of local contractors, if any, that have received funds from the loan for the
CCTV contract, reportedly awarded to China’s ZTE Corporation, as well as the
implementation status of the project.”</p>



<p> ;SERAP also sought: “disclosure of details of
repayment for other Chinese loans for allegedly failed projects between
1999&#8211;2015, the status of any such projects, and details of local and Chinese
contractors involved in the projects. We urge you to clarify if the N1.5 billion
paid in 2010 for another apparently failed contract to construct the
headquarters of the Code of Conduct Bureau is part of another Chinese loan.”</p>



<p> ;In the FoI request dated 25 October 2019 and signed
by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “We are
concerned that Nigerians are being made to pay for the Chinese loans for
apparently failed projects, and for which they have not benefited in any way,
shape or form. ;Transparency in the spending of Chinese loans is good for
everyone, as this would help to increase the effectiveness, legitimacy, and
contribution of the loans to the development of public goods and services, and
the general public interests.”</p>



<p> ;SERAP said it would take legal action “if the
requested information is not provided to us within 14 days of the receipt
and/or publication of this letter.”</p>



<p> ;<a>SERAP said: “Servicing
Chinese loans for failed projects is double jeopardy for Nigerians—they can
neither see nor benefit from the projects; yet, they are made to pay both the loans
and the accrued interests. The loans should never have been obtained in the
first place, as successive governments should have drawn funds from the over
$670 million (N241.2 billion) budgeted annually as security votes, but which
remain synonymous with official corruption and unaccounted for.”</a></p>



<p> ;The organization expressed “concern that the $460
million loan got for the failed Abuja CCTV project and the N1.5 billion for the
construction of CCB headquarters, which may be part of another Chinese loan,
may have been mismanaged or stolen, and in any case, remain unaccounted for.”</p>



<p> ;The FoI request read in part: “SERAP is concerned
that the allegations of corruption involving the use of the funds and other
similar Chinese loans may be responsible for the security challenges
confronting Abuja, and the limited capacity of the CCB to discharge its
constitutional and statutory mandates to prevent corruption in asset
declarations of presidents, vice-presidents, governors, and other public
officers, as prescribed by the Nigerian constitution of 1999 (as amended).”</p>



<p> ;“As trustee of public funds, SERAP contends that
your Ministry has a legal duty to disclose details of spending on the $460
million Abuja CCTV project and N1.5 billion for the construction of CCB
headquarters, to the beneficiaries (Nigerians) of the trust, if and when called
upon to do so. ;Any failure or refusal to provide the information will also
be clearly inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the FoI Act.”</p>



<p> ;“If the allegations of mismanagement and corruption
in the execution of projects for which loans have been obtained from China are
true, such allegations will clearly amount to a fundamental breach of national
anticorruption laws and the country’s international anticorruption obligations
including under the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a
state party. ;The facts relating to these serious allegations require your
immediate and urgent disclosure and clarifications.”</p>



<p>“As a key agency of government, the Ministry of Finance,
Budget and National Planning has a sacred duty to ensure that the country’s
loans including those obtained from China are transparently and accountably
used solely for the purposes for which the loans are obtained, and for the
effective development of public goods and services as well as the general
public interests.”</p>



<p> ;“This implies providing strong leadership in the
efforts to curb public sector corruption, and to refer to appropriate
anticorruption agencies any allegations of corruption in which any agencies of
government and/or contractors may be involved. This leadership is important if
the Ministry is ;to enjoy the public trust and confidence essential for its
effectiveness and impact.”</p>



<p> ;“We would like you to clarify if the N1.5 billion
mobilisation fee reportedly paid in September 2010 to contractors for the
construction of the headquarters of the CCB in Abuja is part of another loan
obtained from China.”</p>



<p> ;“We are concerned that the CCB building project is
still in foundation level several years after payment of ;<a>N1.5 billion ;</a>of the total contract fee of
N3.5billion. However, the contract was reportedly reviewed in October 2012 from
N3.5 billion to N8.7 billion, with the contract agreement signed on February 5,
2013.”</p>



<p> ;“SERAP notes that the consequences of corruption
are felt by citizens on a daily basis. Corruption exposes them to additional
costs to pay for health, education and administrative services. Another
consequence of corruption is the growing inequality in the country, where the
privileged few have access to all public resources, while the vast majority of
citizens are deprived of access to public goods and services.”</p>



<p> ;“Also, corruption undermines economic development
of the country, trapping the majority of Nigerians in poverty and depriving
them of employment opportunities.”</p>



<p><strong>SERAP therefore urged Mrs Ahmed ;to:</strong></p>



<p>1. ; ; ; ;Disclose
the total amounts of money, if any, that have been paid/released for the
execution of projects for which loans have been obtained from China;</p>



<p>2. ; ; ; ;Compel
the contractors and companies including Chinese companies that have been paid
from the loans to go back to sites and urgently complete the projects;</p>



<p>3. ; ; ; ;Suspend
repayment of any Chinese loans until there are specific guarantees by local and
Chinese contractors and companies that transparency and accountability will be
ensured in the execution of the affected projects;</p>



<p>4. ; ; ; ;Disclose
the amount of interests so far paid on the loans obtained for the project which
have allegedly not been fully, properly or satisfactorily executed;</p>



<p>5. ; ; ; ;Refer
any allegations of corruption involving the execution of projects for which
loans have been obtained from China to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related
Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation;</p>



<p>6. ; ; ; ;Ensure
that anyone involved in alleged corruption in projects supported by China is
brought to justice if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence;</p>



<p>7. ; ; ; ;Set
up processes and procedures to safeguard Chinese loans and mitigate corruption
risks in the spending of the loans and to promote fair and free competition,
consistent with Nigeria’s anti-corruption legal frameworks and international
standards</p>

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