Chinese telecoms equipment and security solutions vendor, ZTE, said the National Public Service Communication System (NPSCS) project that was awarded to it by the Federal Government has been completed and handed over to help check rising security challenges in the country.
The firm lamented that the though the project was delivered behind schedule, it is important that it has been completed and has been serving the people of Nigeria.
Deputy Managing Director, ZTE Nigeria Limited, Brielle Gao, who disclosed in Lagos at a media parley with ICT editors, said the firm build an ultra-modern security apparatus for the government, adding that the project was of the same standard with what it had done in other parts of the continent, including China, its home country.
“We have built a completely secure security platform for the Federal Government across the 36 states of the federation. The project has about 700 BTS as one of its major component. The BTS will provide the platform for the whole country. The implementation was slightly delayed because of securing land for the BTS and customs. The contract was awarded by the Federal Government and it has been handed over to the government,” she said.
Gao took a swipe at the uninformed criticism making the round about the quality of the job being done in the country, arguing that ZTE has built a reputation for providing security solutions to more than 40 countries across the world. She said the allegation was spurious and baseless as there is no evidence to substantiate the claim.
“ZTE is a global security solutions provider. One of our best-selling solutions is the security solutions we provide to the world. This system is called the global trunk key system. It has been successfully implemented in more than 40 countries around the world including Nigeria. ZTE is worried about the misinformation making the rounds about the quality of our solutions. All the solutions that we have provided for Nigeria is the same provided all over the world in recent time. In China, it is the same thing. If you go to Ghana, Senegal and some other African countries where we have this security communications project, all the projects are the same. All the concerns about the quality are rumours,” she said.
On local the local content status of the project, Gao said the project was implemented by both the Chinese and local engineers, adding that more than 1000 security personnel from all the security agencies in the country have also been trained both at home and in China about how to run the security equipment.
“Though we have Chinese expatriate engineers but it is essentially the local engineers that do the work but supervised by their Chinese counterparts.
According to her, the $470 million project is being financed with loans obtained from the Chinese Exim Bank at less than three per cent interest rate and tenor of ten years. The Federal Government was expected to provide $70.5 million while the Chinese bank provided the balance.
The implementation of the project has generated so much interest in the country but a security expert said it will be foolish if the project handlers or the Federal Government went to town celebrating the project.
"Security matters are not matters you place at the doorsteps of the media because you want to be seen to be doing something. So, it will be stupid and naive for any government or those handling the project to call a press conference and discuss the project.
"The new wave of security challenge in the country calls for unconventional approach. We are peace-loving people and its absolutely unimaginable that a fellow Nigerian will carry bomb or any improvised device to destroy their fellow human beings," the security expert said.