A group of aggrieved contractors under the aegis of Concerned Local Contractors on Monday staged a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, demanding the immediate payment of funds owed them by the Federal Government.
The contractors, who say they have not received payments for projects executed since January 2025, accused the government of crippling their businesses and subjecting their families to economic hardship.
Clutching placards with bold inscriptions such as “We delivered our projects, now pay us money” and “Central payment system by OAGF and FMF has failed woefully. Revert to the former system,” the protesters condemned the centralised payment process managed by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and the Ministry of Finance.
Desmond Ibe, spokesperson for the contractors, lamented that despite completing their jobs, none of them had been paid in over six months.
“We’re calling on Mr President to please help us talk to these people to pay us our money. It has been too long — about six months now and still counting — and we have been expecting payments,” Ibe said.
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He argued that the ongoing delay is not only affecting contractors’ livelihoods but also stalling national development, noting that the 2025 budget implementation was at a disappointing 35 per cent.
“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 to speed up the process,” he added.
The protest follows a growing chorus of complaints about delays in government disbursements under the current central payment system, which many critics say is overly bureaucratic and inefficient.
As of press time, neither the Ministry of Finance nor the Accountant General’s Office had issued a formal response to the contractors’ demands.