ABUJA: Indigenous contractors on Monday resumed protests in Abuja over an alleged N4 trillion debt owed by the Federal Government for completed capital projects.
The protest, organised by the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), took place at the Federal Ministry of Finance, with the association warning that it could escalate its action if the outstanding payments were not settled.
Speaking with journalists, AICAN President, Mr Jackson Nwosu, said the capital projects were executed mainly with funds borrowed from commercial banks, leaving contractors under severe financial pressure.
According to him, only about 40 per cent of the outstanding debt was paid after the association’s protest in December 2025, stressing that members would not vacate the ministry’s premises until the balance was released.
“We are talking about over N4 trillion in unpaid capital projects executed for the Federal Government in 2024. These projects have been completed, yet contractors are still unpaid,” Nwosu said.
He warned that continued delay in settling the debt could have grave consequences for the economy, noting that many contractors had already defaulted on bank loans.
Nwosu said several members had lost properties to banks, while some contractors had reportedly died as a result of the financial strain caused by the unpaid debts.
“Most of our members borrowed heavily from banks to execute these projects and are now unable to repay. Some banks have seized their properties, and some contractors have even died,” he said.
He said the Federal Government had yet to fully implement agreements reached with the association, adding that AICAN had submitted a comprehensive list of contractors who completed projects without receiving any payment.
Nwosu also quoted the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, as assuring that payment warrants would be released once the list of eligible contractors was verified, but said no funds had been disbursed since the submission.
He added that members were yet to receive any payment alerts, despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive for the settlement of the outstanding debt.
Also speaking, AICAN Vice President, Mr Ode Agada, appealed to the Federal Government to honour its commitments, describing the plight of indigenous contractors as unfortunate.
Agada said local contractors had contributed significantly to the country’s economic development and deserved better treatment.
“We have contributed to the growth of the economy of this country. We are indigenous people who supported the government, yet we are being treated this way,” he said.
He further called on the international community to intervene, describing the situation facing contractors as dire since June 2025.
In a related development, the FCT Chairman of Indigenous Contractors, Mr Adebola Benson, appealed to the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, to ensure the clearance of outstanding payments owed to contractors in the territory.
Benson said many contractors in the Federal Capital Territory also relied on bank loans to execute projects and were now facing threats of arrest over unpaid debts.
He urged the minister to discount allegations that FCT administration civil servants executed the contracts.
As at the time of filing this report, representatives of the protesting contractors were in a meeting with the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Uzoka-Anite, to resolve the impasse.
