Dare Babalola
The House of Representatives convened a closed-door meeting with Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji, to delve into pressing concerns surrounding the non-payment of indigenous contractors, with discussions lasting two hours.
The meeting, chaired by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, took place from 11:48 a.m. to 1:24 p.m. It began with the standard opening procedures, including the recitation of the National Anthem, after which Tajudeen instructed Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere to move a motion for the House to transition into an executive session.
The motion was adopted without objection.
Though the leadership didn’t reveal the specifics of the discussions or outcomes, indications suggest the conversation likely covered the delayed rollout of the 2025 Appropriation Act’s capital component. This delay is thought to be holding back federal projects and putting pressure on contractors who depend on timely payments.
For months, the plight of indigenous contractors has remained a sore point for the National Assembly.
Recall that weeks earlier, contractors barricaded the National Assembly gate in a sustained protest, vowing to occupy the premises and disrupt legislative activities if their outstanding payments were not settled. Their agitation paralysed access to the premises and drew national attention to the scale of unpaid debts.
In response, the House in November moved to suspend its plenary sessions for one week after the contractors’ protest intensified at the National Assembly complex.
During that period, the chamber issued a seven-day ultimatum to Mr Edun, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamsudeen Ogunjimi.
They were directed to immediately clear all outstanding debts owed to indigenous contractors and guarantee the effective implementation of the 2025 budget.
However, they made a U-turn hours later and reconvened for plenary the following day, claiming that there were “positive developments arising from engagements and interventions across various levels of government concerning issues that informed the earlier adjournment, particularly matters relating to contractors’ agitations and the non-release of funds under the 2024/2025 budget.”
