Unpaid N18bn debt: contractors occupy finance ministry

Energy sapped contractors of the federal government who are yet to be paid for jobs executed several years after contract execution staged a peaceful protest at the premises of the federal ministry of finance, budget and national planning on Monday to demand the payment of the sum of N18 billion owed them.

Dandy Rowland, spokesman of the aggrieved contractors said they executed contracts for various ministries, departments and agencies, but had yet to receive their payment.

The striking contractors stated that they were bored and disappointed by the repeated failed promises of the ministry to pay them.

But, the media aide to the finance minister, Yunusa Abdullahi, said the verification of the contractors’ claims were ongoing, adding that there are a lot of documents that have to be verified in order to know those who really did one or more of the contracts.

Abdullahi also stated that the ministry assured the protesters that it would pay them once the verification exercise was completed, adding that the government would not hesitate to settle duly verified claims.