Contractors threaten to strorm APC convention in protest over delayed payments

By Aderogba George

Members of All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) have said they will storm the upcoming All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention in Abuja of the federal government failed to release N150 billion which is part of funds previously committed for verified federal projects within 48 hours,

Mr Jackson Nwosu, AICAN’s National President, said this on Tuesday at a resumed protest in Abuja over delayed payments for contracts executed for government.

Nwosu said the association is demanding the immediate release of N150 billion within 48 hours

According to He added that the government has so far paid only N21 billion out of the over N1 trillion being owed to contractors.

“For AICAN members, the government has only paid N21 billion between this period in question, what is remaining to be paid is over N1 Trillion, but what we are discussing as the immediate payment we need is N150 billion.

“Our immediate demand is for the payment to be made between now and next two days”.

Nwosu said delayed payments could affect contractor participation at the APC convention.

Earlier, Mr Seun Babatunde, AICAN’s National Secretary, said members are concerned about payment delays affecting business operations, loan repayments, and the ability to sustain projects.

He noted that the association is engaging officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance to resolve the matter.

“What AICAN has received as an association of contractors is N21 Billion as part of the list of payment finalised in December 2025, a lot of our members are dying as a result of this debt the Federal Government owed members.

“We lost a member to prostate cancer who has more than 100 million in this money owed members, if the money the government owed members was paid, the prostrate issue would have been operated”.

The AICAN contractors have staged regular protests in Abuja over unpaid contracts executed in 2024 and 2025.

The 2026 Appropriation Bill included N1.7 trillion for verified 2024 contractor liabilities and N100 billion for other local contractor debts to address outstanding payments.

In spite of these provisions, contractors say disbursements have been slower than expected.

Government officials emphasized that payments are subject to verification and compliance checks before release.

In January 2026, the Ministry of Finance confirmed N152 billion had been disbursed for verified contracts.

Dr Doris Uzoka‑Anite, former Minister of State for Finance, said the verification process ensures accountability and transparency of public funds.

President Bola Tinubu has directed officials to prioritise payments to Indigenous Contractors, but the association says some payments are still delayed. (NAN)