Reps demands details of N2.4trn payments to contractors

The House of Representatives has directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, to provide a detailed spreadsheet of payments made to contractors from the N2.4 trillion recently approved for project executions. The directive followed confirmation from the Office of the Accountant-General that the federal government has approved N2.4 trillion for contractor payments, with an […]

The House of Representatives has directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, to provide a detailed spreadsheet of payments made to contractors from the N2.4 trillion recently approved for project executions.

The directive followed confirmation from the Office of the Accountant-General that the federal government has approved N2.4 trillion for contractor payments, with an additional N760 billion authorised by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, for warrant and cash backing, bringing the total to about N3.1 trillion.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu who chairs the House Ad-hoc Committee on Budget Implementation, disclosed this after a marathon meeting with the leadership of the Association of Indigenous Contractors of Nigeria in Abuja.

Kalu commended the government for approving the payment in the face of economic strain but stressed the need for accountability and transparency.

• Insecurity: We’ll spare no resources to rout out criminals – Kwara Gov
• We’re in support of Tinubu’s borrowing plan – Speaker Abbas

“We need to see how the government has paid N2.4 trillion and why some contractors are still on the streets claiming they have not been paid. It’s not giving the government a good image. We want to verify whether those protesting are truly unpaid or whether others have been paid without doing the work,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker also tasked contractors to ensure that projects being paid for were genuine, completed, and beneficial to Nigerians.

“The government is not paying for a piece of paper or a certificate of completion when jobs are not done. It would be wickedness to claim that a hospital has been built when lives are being lost because there is no hospital, or to claim schools are built when students are still learning under trees,” he warned.

The Sunday session was part of a series of engagements between lawmakers, contractors, and government officials after indigenous contractors staged protests in Abuja over unpaid fees.

The House Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, had set up the ad-hoc committee earlier in September to broker peace.

At the first meeting on September 4, the government agreed to pay 25 percent of the contractors’ claims, while other issues such as batch numbers and cash backing were slated for review.

During Sunday’s appraisal session, the Director of Funds in the Accountant-General’s office confirmed that 25 percent of payments had been made, with batch number issues resolved, but cash backing for the remaining months was still pending. He added that approvals have now been granted to cover payments from May to September.

Kalu described the development as a sign of a “listening government” and said another appraisal meeting has been scheduled for October 5, 2025.