Business
Reps Summon CBN Governor, Finance Minister Over Unpaid Contractors
The House of Representatives on Thursday summoned top federal officials to explain the persistent non-payment of contractors for completed government projects, despite budgetary allocations provided in the 2024 Appropriation Act.
Among those summoned are the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Yemi Cardoso; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Accountant-General of the Federation, Babatunde Ogunjimi; and the Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Chira.
The resolution came after a motion of urgent national importance was raised by Delta State lawmaker, Ezechi Nnamdi, who lamented the severe financial strain faced by contractors across the country. He noted that many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have received less than 50 percent of their capital releases for the year.
“Despite having provisions in the 2024 budget, verified contractors remain unpaid since October 2024,” Nnamdi said. “This failure to meet financial obligations has resulted in project abandonment, widespread hardship among contractors, and negative consequences for the broader economy.”
He warned that the growing frustration among contractors could trigger mass protests, legal actions, and further collapse of public infrastructure and services. Constituency projects, he added, have been especially impacted, weakening public trust in government promises.
In response, the House resolved to summon the affected officials to appear before it on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, to provide explanations for the delays and present a clear payment timeline for the verified debts.
Additionally, the House directed its Committees on Public Accounts and Budget and Economic Planning to jointly investigate the root causes of the payment bottlenecks. The committees are expected to submit their findings within four weeks, along with recommendations for possible legislative remedies.
The probe will also examine accountability lapses within MDAs responsible for processing payments, with the goal of ensuring transparency and improving future disbursement processes.
