The meeting held between the contractors with the Finance of State for Minister, Dr. Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite on Monday has hit a rock due to the government’s failure to settle over ₦4 trillion in unpaid debts for completed projects.
Recall that the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) organized a protest picketing the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja, preventing Minister from accessing her office.
AICAN President Jackson Nwosu stated that the government has consistently reneged on payment promises, leaving many contractors in dire financial straits.
The contractors claim that only 30-40% of outstanding payments have been made, with warrants stopping in May 2025. Many firms have borrowed to execute government contracts, resulting in bank defaults and asset seizures. A Senate committee has summoned Finance Minister Wale Edun to provide explanations for the delays, and the federal government has allocated ₦1.7 trillion to pay contractors’ debts in the 2026 appropriation bills
Speaking to Newsdirect Business Desk on telephone, the Public Relations of the contractors, Mr. Rotimi on Monday evening stressed that the meeting was the Minister didn’t yielded positive results as the Minister appeal to them to shelves the protest as their demands will sorted out.
He revealed ” we disagree with the Minister and we will to remain here until our monies are paid by the Federal government.”
The Director of information and Public Relations Federal Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga didn’t pick calls with regards to the development at the time of filling this report.