Indigenous contractors under the umbrella of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) on Monday blocked the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, protesting the Federal Government’s failure to pay over ₦4 trillion owed for completed projects.
The protest, which follows a similar demonstration in December 2025, was sparked by what contractors described as repeated broken promises by the government.
AICAN President, Jackson Nwosu, said verified payments approved before the closure of the payment portal in December never reflected in contractors’ accounts.
According to him, unpaid debts have led to severe cashflow challenges, loan defaults, and seizure of contractors’ assets by banks.
He dismissed government claims that 80 percent of the debts had been cleared, insisting that only about 30–40 percent had been paid, with payments reportedly stopping around May 2025.
Tension briefly rose during the protest when a security aide fired a shot into the air as the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, attempted to access the ministry, causing panic among protesters.
AICAN leaders condemned the incident, describing the protest as peaceful.
AICAN’s Secretary-General, Babatunde Oyeniyi, warned that continued neglect of indigenous contractors was hurting the local economy, stressing that local firms should not be treated differently from foreign contractors, whose payments are often processed promptly.
The association vowed to sustain the protest until all verified contract payments are fully settled.
