Indigenous Contractors Storm Eagle Square, Protest Non Payment Of N500 Billion Contract Money

By Bukar BOLORI

Indigenous contractors and members of their families took to the streets of Abuja on Tuesday to protest the nonpayment by the federal government of their contract money amounting to over N500 billion.

The contractors numbering over 100 converged at the Eagle Square, Abuja and matched all the way to the Ministry of Finance where they staged praceful protest, demanding for payment of their money which they said amounted to over N500 billion.

The contractors under the umbrella of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria, (AICAN), also came out with members of their families and their staff to seek payment for the contracts they claimed they have fully executed and have still be inaugurated.

Led by the National Secretary of the body, Babatunde Oyeniyi, the group said that despite several meetings and assurances, the federal government has continued to fail in the payment of the contractors and has constantly reneged on previous promises leaving them with no other choice that to keep holding peaceful protests.

Oyeniyi lamented that over ₦500 billion is being owed members of the AICAN and even though recently the minister of finance, Wale Edun, promised to pay them weeks ago, he has since failed to do so and has rather referred them to the national assembly who had earlier intervened in the matter.

He said: “Following the intervention of the National Assembly, we sat with the minister of finance, and suspended our earlier protest immediately.

“Since then we have been in dialogue with the minister of finance on how we will be paid and he told us that he has ₦150 billion at the moment to pay us and that what they are owing us is very little therefore we will be paid, unfortunately, we have been here more that six times but he hasn’t paid us,” he explained.

He noted that: “From the last conversation we had, we even told him that for now, since you said you have up to ₦150 billion as part payment to AICAN, start the payment immediately but he has not done so, we don’t know what is causing this delay.

“When we collate the government is owing AICAN more than ₦500 billion.”

Speaking on the central role contractors play in maintaining the economy, member of the association, Innocent Anslem, said AICAN is one of Nigeria’s major employer of labour therefore starving it of required funds to function is inimical to national development.

He said “We do not have any problem with the government or anyone else, all we want is for our money to be released and paid to us. We are one of the biggest employers of labour in this country.

“The 2024 budget, the popular Renewed Hope Budget, was funded 100 per cent by members of our association, the government of the day only passed the budget but not a single dime was used to fund it. We funded the budget and the administration is taking credit for it.”

Anslem pointed that it is on the basis of the various contracts carried out and completed by AICAN that the government will showcase to the people at the grassroots to see and assess the government as performing.

“All we are asking for is pay us our money. This lack of payment has brought a lot of poverty to our people, we have lost members and we have lost virtually everything we have in terms of the investment we have made in the budget and bank interests keep running every day” .

He said AICAN members are now praying to recover and go back to normalcy but the government keeps shifting it’s position and lying to the group.

The placards they carried had inscriptions which include:

“Banks No Longer Have Confidence in Sponsoring Government Projects.”

“Many Contractors Here Lost There Lives Through Suicide.”

“Though We Can Not Have Value for Our Money Again, Pay Us What You’re Owing Us.”

“You are Killing Small Businesses. Pay What You Owe.”

“It’s a Crime Against Humanity for Government Not to Pay Contractors for About 360 days.”

“Work Done, Payment Overdue.”

“No Payment to Contractors, No Peace for FGN.”

“Tinubu Led FG is Planning to Cripple Nigerian Economy by not Paying Contractors for Contract Executed and Commission.”

“Pay What You Owe Contractors”

“Don’t Pay 2025 Until You Finish Paying 2024 Budget that has been Completed.”

They even composed and sang song like: “Na Our Money we need ho he, we don’t need anything, Wale Edun Pay Us, Tinubu Pay Us.”