Public affairs analyst, Mahdi Shehu, has fiercely criticized the National Assembly’s decision to investigate the $460 million Chinese loan approved for the Abuja CCTV project under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Shehu dismissed the probe as “politically motivated and hypocritical,” calling it a “desperate exercise in futility” and an act of “limitless shamelessness.” He argued that reviving a project approved over a decade ago is solely intended to “destroy, restrain, or intimidate” Jonathan ahead of the 2027 election.
Shehu asserted that Jonathan’s loan was properly processed and approved by the National Assembly, unlike numerous subsequent borrowings. He highlighted the growth of Nigeria’s national debt, noting that Jonathan left a debt stock of about N12 trillion, which rose to N77 trillion under former President Muhammadu Buhari and is reportedly at N144 trillion and counting under President Bola Tinubu.
The critic accused lawmakers of selective investigations, ignoring more pressing financial matters. He challenged the National Assembly to instead probe: Buhari’s N30 trillion “Ways and Means” loan, which he claims was obtained secretly; Tinubu’s current loans, which he claims have reached N150 trillion; the alleged N7 trillion 2025 budget padding and N10.5 trillion failed constituency projects; unaccounted N210 trillion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) between 2017 and 2023; and the $7 billion allegedly vanished after being earmarked for refinery repairs.
Shehu further lamented that the National Assembly has ignored the suffering of millions of Nigerians—facing poverty, hunger, and strikes by university lecturers and doctors—to focus on a decade-old transaction. He pointed out the Minister of Finance’s recent claim of distributing N330 billion to vulnerable groups with no verifiable evidence, yet the lawmakers failed to investigate.
He concluded by stating that the lawmakers are ignoring the deep suffering of 139 million impoverished Nigerians and warned that the “day their prayers are answered will be the day of regret.”
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