Hundreds of aggrieved contractors yesterday thronged the Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja, demanding the payment of over ₦4 trillion allegedly owed them by the Federal Government for completed capital projects.
The protesters, operating under the aegis of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), accused the government of abandoning indigenous contractors despite its claims of releasing funds for the 2024 capital budget. They lamented that less than one per cent of their members had been paid, while many had sunk into crippling debt, financial distress, and even health crises.
Addressing journalists, AICAN President, Jackson Nwosu, said:
“We are dying. Financial institutions are on our necks every day because the government claims to have paid us, but they haven’t. Out of more than 15,000 contractors, only about seven have been paid. Yet, they go around saying all payments have been settled. If that were true, we wouldn’t be on the streets.”
Nwosu disclosed that several members had lost their lives waiting for payment, while others could not meet basic obligations such as school fees, bank loans, and salaries for workers.
The association also accused ministries and agencies of deliberately withholding approvals to the Finance Ministry owing to a funding freeze, further worsening the backlog.
Corroborating his position, AICAN National Secretary, Babatunde Seun, accused government officials of insincerity and selective disbursement.
“They pay one or two people and abandon the rest. We met with the Finance Minister and Accountant-General, who promised payments within 48 hours, but nothing has happened. Many of us have lost cars, properties, and businesses. We cannot even feed our families,” Seun said.
He appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu, reminding him of his own experience as a former contractor.
“If he instructs the Finance Minister today, the money will be released. But if this continues, frustration will force more Nigerians to leave the country. All we are asking is to be paid for the jobs we have done,” he added.
One of the protesters, Davison Ahamefule, narrated that he executed a project in 2011 but was only half-paid two years later.
“The project was verified, yet the balance has not been paid. The bank interest has consumed everything. I beg the government to pay us,” he pleaded.
The contractors warned that though they had refrained from legal action in hopes of an amicable resolution, they may be compelled to head to court if the stalemate persists.
