The Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, said on Friday the Federal Government planned to resuscitate the abandoned $470 million National Public Security Communication System in a bid to check the worsening security challenge in the country.
Dingyadi, who stated this at a press briefing to mark his first anniversary in office, said technicians were already inspecting the vandalised Closed Circuit Television Cameras in Lagos and Abuja for repairs.
The federal government had in 2010 awarded the contract for the CCTV project to a Chinese firm, ZTE Nigeria Limited.
The project was designed to provide audio, video and data information for use by the police and other security agencies in the country.
At the briefing, Dingyadi told journalists the ministry would present a memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the revival of the project.
He said: “Talking about the CCTV, Mr. President is fully committed to resuscitating all ongoing and abandoned projects. This (CCTV) is one of the projects that were abandoned in 2011 and the government is working to resuscitate it.
“We have also commissioned technicians who are checking all the installations throughout the country. A memo would be presented to the Federal Executive Council for consideration for the revival of the project.”
“Technology is paramount in fighting crime. If you go to some countries, you won’t see policemen on the streets because of the cameras everywhere. We are planning to have such things on the ground, but at the moment, we are using what we have.”