Mahdi Shehu Claims NASS Probe of Jonathan’s CCTV Project Is Political

Public affairs analyst Mahdi Shehu has criticised the National Assembly over its decision to probe the $460 million Chinese loan obtained during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for the Abuja Metropolitan CCTV project, describing the move as politically motivated and hypocritical.

In a post shared on X on Thursday night, Shehu labelled the probe a “desperate exercise in futility”, adding that it was an attempt by lawmakers to “dance naked in the marketplace while angels curse the dancers.”

He argued that revisiting a project approved more than a decade ago reflected “limitless shamelessness” and a “desperate dive into murky waters” driven by 2027 political calculations.

“Jonathan has suddenly become an enemy that must be destroyed, restrained, or intimidated because of 2027 — a year where nobody even has the guarantee to reach,” he wrote.

Shehu maintained that the loan was properly processed and approved by the National Assembly during Jonathan’s tenure, unlike several loans obtained by subsequent administrations.

Comparing debt figures, he noted that Jonathan left behind about ₦12 trillion, while former President Muhammadu Buhari increased it to ₦77 trillion, and President Bola Tinubu’s government has reportedly raised it to ₦144 trillion and counting.

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“Unlike Buhari’s and Tinubu’s excruciating loan jamboree, Jonathan’s CCTV loan was subjected to legislative processes and duly approved by the National Assembly,” he stated.

The analyst accused lawmakers of selective investigations, questioning why they had ignored more controversial financial dealings under recent governments.

“If the National Assembly has any sense of investigative decency, they should be probing Buhari’s ₦30 trillion ‘Ways and Means’ obtained in secrecy and defended by the rubber-stamp Senate of that regime,” he added.

Shehu also demanded scrutiny of what he described as Tinubu’s mounting loans, alleged ₦7 trillion budget padding, ₦10.5 trillion unexecuted constituency projects, and the $7 billion reportedly earmarked for refinery repairs that “vanished without trace.”

He further lamented that lawmakers have neglected urgent social crises, including worsening poverty, hunger, and strikes by university lecturers and doctors.

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“Currently, 139 million Nigerians are living in poverty, with 39 million malnourished children and 69 million out-of-school children. Yet none of these issues interest the National Assembly,” he wrote.

Shehu concluded that the lawmakers’ priorities were misplaced, warning that “the prayers of the victims of injustice will one day bring regret — at a time when regret has no value.”