Local contractors under the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) have resumed protests over debts exceeding four trillion naira owed to them by the Federal Government.
On Monday, the protesting contractors blocked the main entrance to the Ministry of Finance, accusing the government of betraying them through the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and failing to pay for projects already executed.
Speaking at the protest venue, the National President of AICAN, Jackson Ifeanyi Nwosu, said the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, had promised to release payment warrants and asked the contractors to submit their lists. “We’ve given them all they needed,” he said.
He added, “To date, we’ve not seen any warrants approved. So that’s why we are back to the trenches.
Mr. Wale Edun told the Senate committee that the money that the federal government is owing indigenous contractors, over 80% of the money has been paid.
“I think, as we speak, there are 204 capital projects. Only about 30-40% was paid. The warrants that they released only ended in May. Most people from January to May have not received payment.
“So between June and December, no warrants. So, which payment did they make? No alerts. No single alert. The only ones we received was about N230 billion they released. And that only ended in February.”
Nwosu stressed that many completed projects remain unpaid. “We’re talking about over 4 trillion. There are so many other projects that have been completed that have not been paid.
“The next line of action is that if they don’t kill us, the economy of this country will die. Most of these contractors have collected funds from banks, and could not even pay.
“Banks have seized most of their properties. So, some have died. We are ready for the worst. We are not leaving the streets. We are ready for the worst. And we will continue to be law-abiding.”