Public affairs analyst, Mahdi Shehu, has slammed the National Assembly for revisiting the $460 million Chinese loan secured during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan for the Abuja CCTV project, describing the move as politically driven and hypocritical. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Shehu said the probe was a “desperate exercise in futility”, aimed at discrediting Jonathan ahead of the 2027 elections. He accused lawmakers of engaging in selective investigations while ignoring major financial scandals from other administrations.
According to Shehu, the CCTV loan was properly processed and approved by the National Assembly during Jonathan’s tenure, unlike several loans secured under subsequent governments. He highlighted that Jonathan’s administration left a debt stock of about ₦12 trillion, while former President Muhammadu Buhari increased it to ₦77 trillion, and the current Bola Tinubu government has reportedly pushed it to ₦144 trillion and counting. Shehu argued that it was unfair for the National Assembly to reopen a decade-old issue when more recent financial concerns remain uninvestigated.
He further condemned what he called “selective amnesia” by lawmakers, questioning their silence over Buhari’s ₦30 trillion ‘Ways and Means’ loan, which he claimed was obtained “in absolute secrecy,” as well as alleged budget padding and failed constituency projects worth over ₦10 trillion under Tinubu’s government. “If the National Assembly had any sense of investigative decency, they would be probing Buhari’s secret loans, not Jonathan’s CCTV project,” he stated.
Shehu also cited unaccounted funds from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) between 2017 and 2023, as well as the $7 billion earmarked for refinery repairs that reportedly disappeared without trace. He accused the legislature of turning a blind eye to alleged corruption in recent administrations while focusing on politically convenient targets. “Jonathan has suddenly become an enemy because of 2027 — a year no one is even guaranteed to reach,” he wrote.
Lamenting the economic hardship facing Nigerians, Shehu said the National Assembly had ignored more pressing issues such as poverty, hunger, and failing social systems. “Currently, 139 million Nigerians live in poverty, 39 million children are malnourished, and 69 million are out of school. Yet, the lawmakers have no interest in probing these,” he added. He warned that Nigerians’ prayers for justice would one day be answered, leaving corrupt leaders in regret when “regret has no value.”
