Indigenous contractors vow to disrupt APC Convention over N150bn unpaid contracts

The All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) has threatened to stage a protest at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention in Abuja over delayed payments for executed government contracts.

The association’s National President, Jackson Nwosu, made this known on Tuesday during a resumed protest by members in the Federal Capital Territory.

Nwosu said the group is demanding the immediate release of N150 billion within 48 hours as part of funds already approved for verified federal projects.

“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 is N150 billion,” he said.

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

He warned that continued delay in payment could affect the participation of contractors in the APC national convention.

Also speaking, AICAN National Secretary, Seun Babatunde, said many contractors are facing serious financial challenges due to the outstanding debts owed by the government.

He explained that the situation has disrupted business operations, loan repayments, and the ability of contractors to sustain ongoing projects, adding that the association is already engaging the Federal Ministry of Finance to find a solution.

“What AICAN has received as an association of contractors is N21 billion as part of the list of payments finalised in December 2025,” he said.

“A lot of our members are dying as a result of the debt the federal government owes them.

“We lost a member to prostate cancer who has more than N100 million in this money owed to members. If the money the government owed members was paid, the prostate issue would have been operated on.”

Members of the association have held several protests in Abuja over unpaid contracts carried out in 2024 and 2025.

Although the 2026 budget made provision of N1.7 trillion for verified contractor liabilities and N100 billion for other local debts, contractors insist that payments have been slow.

Government officials, however, maintain that disbursements are tied to verification and compliance checks before funds can be released.

In January, the Ministry of Finance confirmed that N152 billion had been paid for verified contracts. Former Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, had earlier said the verification process is necessary to ensure transparency and accountability.

President Bola Tinubu had also directed relevant authorities to prioritise payments to indigenous contractors.

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