Nigerian contractors have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what they described as the continued delay in payments for projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government in 2024.
The contractors expressed frustration over the non-payment of funds for various contracts awarded by Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Despite having received payment vouchers weeks ago, indicating that payments had supposedly been made, they later discovered that there was no cash backing to access the funds.
They attributed the delays to the alleged centralisation of payment procedures by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), which they claim has further complicated the process.
Speaking with reporters in Ilorin, one of the affected contractors, Ibrahim Bamisaye, said “the resultant effect on us is that we keep on servicing the interests on the loans and the bonds we entered into to execute and complete the projects. We had hoped that the money would be released as scheduled.”
He continued ‘Our workers cannot get their salaries and to meet the needs of our families is becoming difficult on a daily basis.”
Bamisaye further noted that once the National Assembly approves the budget, it becomes law, with provisions specifically made for the MDAs to fulfill their obligations to contractors.
Yet, according to him, these provisions are not being honored in practice, leaving many in financial distress.
