No fewer than 1,000 civil society organisations (CSOs) have demanded the immediate resignation of the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, for allegedly abdicating her duties regarding the payment of over ₦4 trillion owed to local contractors.
The CSOs, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed support for the ongoing protest in Abuja over the matter, adding that it was unfortunate the minister allegedly defied interventions by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, as well as a presidential directive issued in December for the clearance of outstanding debts. Unfortunately, the payment process has yet to yield meaningful results.
The statement was jointly signed by Comrade Wisdom Abah of the National Vanguard for Accountable and Transparent Democracy (NVATD); Engr. Istifanus Pam of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF); Comrade Babatunde Ibidapo of the Movement for Accountable and Good Governance (MAGGo); Alhaji Babale Idris of the National Coalition for Peace, Unity and Progress (NCPUP); and Engr. Lukman Adejobi of the National Forum of APC Young Professionals (NFAYP), on behalf of other groups.
They accused the minister of failing to implement President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive on the immediate settlement of outstanding obligations owed to indigenous contractors. According to the CSOs, the minister’s alleged inaction has worsened the financial hardship facing indigenous contractors and directly triggered the ongoing protest in the Federal Capital Territory.
The CSOs described the situation as avoidable, attributing it to what they termed unwarranted negligence by the finance minister, and warned that prolonged non-payment could have negative consequences for the nation’s economy.
“This whole situation was avoidable. We have repeatedly drawn the attention of the Honourable Minister of State for Finance to this issue, but the failure to act has now resulted in the ongoing protest,” the CSOs claimed.
While commending the patience and perseverance of the contractors since 2024, the CSOs called on the Federal Government to urgently address the backlog of unpaid obligations. They claimed that the outstanding debts for completed and, in some cases, commissioned projects have risen to over ₦4 trillion, leaving many local contractors exposed to severe financial pressure.
The CSOs further alleged that some contractors have resorted to bank loans to execute government projects and are now facing loan defaults, seizure of assets, and business collapse due to the delay in payments.
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