Indigenous contractors threaten to storm APC convention over unpaid N150bn debts

A group of Nigerian contractors is threatening to disrupt the All Progressives Congress national convention in Abuja unless the federal government releases N150 billion in outstanding payments within 48 hours, escalating a months-long dispute over unpaid contracts.

Jackson Nwosu, national president of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria, issued the warning on Tuesday during a resumed protest in Abuja, where members gathered to press their demands. “Our immediate demand is for the payment to be made between now and the next two days,” he said.

The association says the federal government has paid only N21 billion of more than N1 trillion owed to its members for projects executed in 2024 and 2025. The N150 billion they are demanding represents an agreed immediate tranche, not the full amount outstanding.

Read Also: FG shortlists 65 student entrepreneurs for N50m funding

Seun Babatunde, the association’s national secretary, said the delays had pushed many members to the brink, affecting loan repayments, business operations, and their ability to keep projects running. He recounted the death of one member from prostate cancer, saying the contractor had over N100 million trapped in the unpaid funds. “If the money the government owed members was paid, the prostate issue would have been operated on,” he said.

The 2026 appropriation bill made provisions of N1.7 trillion for verified contractor liabilities from 2024 and N100 billion for other local contractor debts. In January, the Ministry of Finance confirmed that N152 billion had been disbursed for verified contracts, with officials maintaining that further payments are subject to verification and compliance checks. Former minister of state for finance Doris Uzoka-Anite said the verification process was necessary to ensure accountability in the use of public funds.

President Bola Tinubu had previously directed government officials to prioritise payments to indigenous contractors. The association says that directive has not translated into meaningful action.