No fewer than 5,000 local contractors under the banner of the Concerned Contractors Owed by the Federal Government of Nigeria 2024 Capital Projects have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to intervene urgently and facilitate payment for projects completed over nine months ago.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the contractors, represented by their convener, Jackson Nwosu, expressed deep frustration over the prolonged delay in payment, saying many members are facing severe financial and personal distress.
The statement, co-signed by the group’s secretary RQS. MIQS. Babatunde Seun, Engr. (Dr.) Peter Adhekugu, Mr. Chidi Kanu, and Mr. O.F. Agada, revealed that some members have passed away under the weight of financial hardship, while others are dealing with asset seizures, unpaid staff, and untreated medical conditions.
“These projects have been fully completed and obligations fulfilled. Yet, for over nine months now, our invoices remain unpaid,” Nwosu said. “Contractors are drowning in debt. Some have committed suicide. Families are suffering. This delay is not only unjust—it is inhuman.”
The contractors called on the Federal Government to uphold transparency and accountability, emphasizing that timely payments are vital for sustaining national development and public trust in governance.
“We are appealing for justice—justice in the form of timely payment for work already done. We’ve heard so much rhetoric from the Office of the Accountant-General and Ministry of Finance, but no action to back it up,” he added.
Citing Section 5(b) of the Public Procurement Act (2007)—which states that no contract shall be awarded without budgetary provision—Nwosu asserted that the current situation is in clear violation of both the spirit and letter of the law.
A moment of silence was observed for contractors who had died while waiting for payment, with attendees chanting, “All we are saying, pay us our money.”
Also present at the event, Chief Princewill Okorie, National President of the Association for Public Policy Analysis, threw his support behind the contractors’ appeal and urged lawmakers to fulfill their constitutional oversight roles.
“I call on the Chairmen of the Appropriation Committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives to investigate why these contractors have not been paid. Section 88 of the Constitution empowers the legislature to investigate corruption, inefficiencies, and waste in fund utilization,” Okorie said.
He stressed that failure to pay for completed capital projects jeopardizes the government’s development priorities, particularly infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals, and bridges essential to national welfare and security.
He concluded by saying: “If the contractors are not paid, then the implementation of the capital budget is stalled, which directly contradicts the Renewed Hope Agenda and the constitutional mandate that the welfare and security of citizens must remain the primary purpose of government.”
The group appealed to both the President and the National Assembly to take immediate action to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of thousands of affected Nigerians and restore faith in the integrity of the public procurement system.
