Local contractors have vowed to continue their protest despite the Federal Government’s claim that it had paid N152 billion for verified projects after several months of protest by the contractors at the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja.
In a statement on Thursday, January 22, the Ministry of Finance said the payments were made after contracts passed multiple verification stages required under existing laws and regulations, a process it said was designed to protect taxpayers’ funds and ensure accountability and transparency.
The ministry acknowledged that delays had imposed financial difficulties on contractors but called for continued dialogue and engagement to resolve outstanding disputes.
Some of the contractors, however, said they were owed more than what the government released.
On Monday, January 19, protesters blocked the entrance of the Finance Ministry, preventing the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, from entering the complex.
The standoff further escalated when security personnel fired a shot into the air to disperse the crowd, causing panic. There were no reported injuries.
The protesters, under the aegis of All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria, said the Federal Government owed more than N4 trillion for completed projects. They accused authorities of reneging on commitments to settle verified claims.
They vowed that the protest would continue until all verified claims are fully paid, arguing that local firms should not be treated differently from foreign contractors.
According to them, repeated assurances since last year have failed to translate into payments for many firms, despite documentation being submitted and approved.
“The government has failed to honour the agreement to pay contractors whose project details have been submitted and verified. Payments finalised before the closure of the payment portal at the end of December were never reflected in our accounts,” Jackson Nwosu, president of the association, said.
(ICIR)
