Anambra State government street lighting diesel supply contractors have accused Governor Chukwuma Soludo of being “selective” in the payment of the about N900 million owed them for four years.
The aggrieved contractors who stormed the New Government House (Light House), Awka, the state capital on Monday, carried placards with various inscriptions were received by the chief of staff (CoS) to the governor, Dr. Ernest Ezeajughi.
Some of the placards read: “Mr. Governor, the banks are after us”; “Mr. Governor, please Oil Marketers are on our necks, pay us our money”; Mr. Governor, we were asked to continue” and “Mr. Governor, we are APGA stakeholders”.
They were contractors supplied the government diesel for powering street lights during the tenure of Sulodo predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano, and three months after the inauguration of the incumbent administration.
The spokesperson for the contractors, Hon. Nnaemeka Oraka, said the N900million covered the diesel they supplied for two months – March and April 2022 and, the cost of the hundreds of the power generating sets they deployed for powering the street, which government directed them to return after the contract was terminated.
Oraka said they were aware that the debt had been verified, processed by the relevant ministries and presented to the governor for his assent for payment to be made to them,
he lamented that to their rude shock, seven of 73 of the contractors had been paid while the rest were left out.
Oraka said they are “super stakeholders” in the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and supporters of Soludo’s re-election in the coming November 8, 2025 governorship election, stressing that, “We are surprised at the selective payment.”
In his response, Ezeajughi (CoS) thanked the protesters for conducting themselves in orderly and civil manner.
He said the government feels their pains and complaints.
“Your case has been moved from where it was in the last one month and two weeks, we have a process that process is ongoing. I believe as it progresses from the deputy governor’s table he will do what’s doing on the reports and complaints because there are so many of you. Some of you have been fixed up, about seven of you. So, hopefully we will factor everything,” he said.
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