FG to begin payment of contractors Monday — Finance Minister

Contractors owed by the federal government can expect payments to resume next week, the minister of finance, Wale Edun, has confirmed.

Edun gave the assurance after a meeting in Abuja convened by Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. The session, according to Levinus Nwabughiogu, Kalu’s chief press secretary, was aimed at resolving the contractors’ grievances.

The minister explained that the government had now put in place a structured plan to clear its obligations.

“Under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, we did hold a marathon meeting today where all the issues were discussed and a timeline was put in place and a way forward was mapped out and all parties at the end of it left knowing that contractors would be paid for jobs done and we have an orderly and systematic way of dealing with the backlogs which had approved overtime,” Edun said.

He added that the meeting achieved consensus among stakeholders.“Once again, we commend the leadership of the House of Representatives and the contractors for their willingness to sit down and dialogue. The Accountant-General of the Federation made some commitments which helped us to chart the way forward.

“We had a peaceful solution. A timeline was put in place and everyone accepted that there are steps that need to be taken, approvals, finalization and orderly procedure for payments. After Friday’s holiday, the Central Bank will open again on Monday and payments will commence immediately.”

The finance minister’s remarks come days after indigenous contractors staged a protest in Abuja, complaining that they had not been paid for more than two years.

Confirming Edun’s statement, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, said the process was already underway.

“This process is ongoing. We’ve been paying contractors and we will continue to pay. From Monday, payments will start dropping,” Ogunjimi said.
Leaders of the Association of Indigenous Contractors of Nigeria also welcomed the resolutions, praised Kalu’s intervention, and pledged to suspend their protest following the assurances.