Contractors protest in Abuja, reject FG’s N700bn payment claim

By Precious Mark

Members of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria(AICAN) staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Tuesday, citing discrepancies in government-reported contractor payments and creating a tense atmosphere.

The contractors insisted that contrary to official claims of about N700 billion paid to 1,240 contractors, only around N40 billion has actually been released, sparking anger and renewed demands for transparency.

Tension rose further as protesters displayed a bold banner at the protest ground with a direct message to the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, signalling a prolonged protest action.

The banner read: “Taiwo Oyedele we’ll be your tenant for the next 30 days at the ministry of finance.”

Speaking during the protest, AICAN correspondent and contractor, Mr Innocent Michael Asuelimen, said the government’s announcement of large payments was misleading and has created serious financial pressure for contractors nationwide.

“So the government is owing over 4 trillion. What they have succeeded in doing so far since we started our agitation is that they have been able to pay contractors N700 billion since 2024 till date,” he said.

However, he insisted that what is on ground differs from what has been reported publicly, as only N40 billion was disbursed to 1240 Contractors with debts from 0-N50 million only.

“The 1240 contractors just last week the government approved only N40 billion to pay them and they are paying just from 0 to N50 million only,” he said.

He explained that contractors are now under pressure from banks and creditors due to the conflicting reports.

“We have been getting calls from creditors, calls from the bank… because they saw that they paid N700 billion to us,” he added.

Michael said many contractors funded federal projects with personal savings or loans after the 2024 budget was passed, claiming that most government projects were executed using private money.

“The government did not fund with one penny. The contractors you are seeing agitating today used their personal funds,” he said.

He added that some contractors were forced to borrow from banks to complete government projects.

“Some of them went to the bank to borrow money to fund the budget… which is unprecedented in the history of this country,” he said.

According to him, many contractors are still awaiting payment two years after project execution.

“This is 2026… we are stuck till date,” he said.

Another protester, Mr Sunday G., also dismissed the N700 billion payment claim, describing it as false.

“The news about the 1240 contractors being paid are lies,” he said.

“Even if they paid us 40% we won’t be here,” he added.

The contractors said their main demands are clear, immediate release of the approved N40 billion for small-scale beneficiaries and a transparent, structured repayment plan for all outstanding debts.

They also called for an urgent meeting with government officials to clarify payment figures and prevent further confusion affecting contractors’ financial standing with banks.