Reps Summon Ministers, CBN Gov, Others Over Contractors’ Payments

The House of Representatives has invited the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun; minister of budget and economic planning, Abubakar Bagudu; the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Yemi Cardoso; the accountant-general of the federation, Babatunde Ogunjimi, amongst others, over non-payment of contractors.

This is as the House resolved to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the failure of the federal government to pay contractors working with Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) since 2024.

The ministers and officials who are expected to appear before the House on Tuesday next week would adduce the reasons for the non-payment of contractors and provide a clear timeline for settling all outstanding verified payments.

These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Ndokwa East / Ndokwa West /Ukwuani federal constituency of Delta State, Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi, at plenary on Thursday.

Moving the motion, Ezechi expressed worry that contractors across all the MDAs have not received payment for certified work completed since October 2024, despite budgetary provisions for capital projects in the 2024 Appropriation Act.

He noted that budget releases under the 2024 financial year to MDAs remain below 50 per cent, resulting in widespread project abandonment, financial distress among contractors, and an overall negative economic impact.

“The House is aware that the non-payment has severely hindered the implementation of critical constituency projects, undermined public confidence in government delivery, and weakened investor trust in the nation’s infrastructure sector.

“The House is concerned that the delay in payment to contractors has resulted in job losses, stalling of infrastructure development, and disruptions to community-based projects across the Federation.

“The House is further concerned that the situation, if left unchecked, could lead to mass protests, legal disputes, and complete paralysis of public projects,” he argued.

Adopting the motion, the House mandated its joint committees on public accounts, budget, and economic planning to conduct a joint inquiry into the systemic failure to disburse funds for contractor payments.

It also asked the federal government to clear all outstanding debts owed to contractors, institute a transparent payment mechanism for contractor claims to prevent the recurrence of delays, and ensure that future budgetary releases for capital projects are disbursed promptly to safeguard jobs and restore confidence in government project delivery.