A coalition of aggrieved contractors under the banner of Concerned Local Contractors staged a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of F...
A coalition of aggrieved contractors under the banner of Concerned Local Contractors staged a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja on Monday, demanding immediate payment for projects executed since January 2025.
Chanting slogans and wielding placards that read: “We delivered our projects, now pay us money” and “Central payment system by OAGF and FMF has failed woefully. Revert back to the former system,” the contractors expressed anger over what they described as months of financial neglect by the Federal Government.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Desmond Ibe, the protesters’ spokesperson, said many contractors had completed government-assigned projects but were yet to receive any form of payment in over six months.
“We’re calling on Mr President to please help us talk to these people to pay us our money,” Ibe said.
“It has been too long — about six months now and still counting — and we have been expecting payments.”
He blamed the delay on the central payment system introduced by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, which he described as “inefficient and painfully slow.”
Ibe argued that the new payment mechanism had stalled budget implementation, leaving many small and medium-scale contractors in debt and unable to meet financial obligations.
“The 2025 budget implementation is stuck at about 35 per cent, largely because contractors are not being paid. We’ve done our jobs. Why are we being punished?” he asked.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene and grant the Ministry of Finance the authority to process contractor payments independently of the OAGF.
“We urge the President to quickly intervene so that our money can be paid. Also, we call on the President to grant the Ministry of Finance the autonomy to process contractor payments and speed up the process,” he said.
Many of the contractors lamented that the delay was pushing them to the brink of financial ruin, with some unable to pay workers or service bank loans.
As of press time, officials of the Ministry of Finance had not issued an official response to the protest.
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