Nigeria’s House of Representatives has extended invitations to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Accountant-General of the Federation, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Auditor-General of the Federation, to appear before it and explain the reasons behind the non-payment of contractors handling Federal government projects across the country
The resolution followed a motion of Urgent Public Importance by Nnamdi Ezechi who raised alarm over the high number of abandoned projects in various constituencies across the country, which he blamed on the poor releases of the 2024 budget by Ministries, Departments and Agencies to contractors, noting that it has remained below 50 percent.
According to the lawmaker, the ugly development has resulted in an overall negative impact on the economy, which has severely hindered the implementation of critical projects, undermined public confidence in government service delivery, and weakened investor confidence in the country’s infrastructure sector.
In their various contributions, members warned that the situation, if left unchecked, could lead to mass protests, legal disputes, and completely paralyse public projects.
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The House of Representatives therefore resolved to conduct a joint inquiry into the systemic failure to disburse funds for contractor payments and check accountability lapses at MDAs responsible for processing payments
The lawmakers also urged the Executive arm of government to commence immediate administrative measures to clear all outstanding debts owed to contractors, institute a transparent payment mechanism for contractor claims to prevent recurrence of delays, ensure that future budgetary releases for capital projects are disbursed promptly to safeguard jobs and restore confidence in government project delivery.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
