Reps summon Edun, Bagudu, Cardoso over nonpayment of contractors

The House of Representatives on Thursday summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, over the non-payment of contractors engaged by federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) since October […]

The House of Representatives on Thursday summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, over the non-payment of contractors engaged by federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) since October 2024.

Also summoned are the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Auditor-General, who, along with the ministers and CBN governor, are to appear before the House on Tuesday, May 13, to explain the reasons behind the delays and present a clear plan for settling outstanding obligations.

The decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Ezechi Nnamdi (Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Uwani federal constituency of Delta) during plenary.

The lawmaker, in his motion, expressed concern that despite budgetary allocations for capital projects in the 2024 Appropriation Act, most MDAs have received less than 50 per cent of their budget releases, leaving contractors unpaid for certified jobs, some of which date back over six months.

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Hon. Ezechi warned that the situation has led to widespread abandonment of projects, job losses, and growing disillusionment with the government’s commitment to infrastructure development.

He added that the delay in payments was threatening economic stability and could trigger mass protests and legal disputes if not addressed urgently.

“This is a major concern not just for the contractors but for the Nigerian people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of these projects,” he said.

Contributing to the motion, former Deputy Speaker Idris Wase decried the delay in the release of funds for the execution of projects despite the provisions made in the approved national budget.

He emphasised the need for timely release of funds to ensure critical projects that have bearing on the people are executed.

The House, while adopting the motion, urged the executive to take immediate action to clear all verified debts and put in place a transparent and timely payment mechanism to restore public confidence in government project delivery.

The House further mandated its Committees on Public Accounts and Budget and Economic Planning to launch a joint investigation into the systemic failures causing the non-disbursement of funds.

The committees are expected to report back within four weeks with findings and legislative recommendations.