There was tension on Monday at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja as protesting indigenous contractors blocked the premises, preventing the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, from entering the complex. The protesters, operating under the banner of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria, barricaded the main gate in protest over unpaid obligations allegedly owed by the Federal Government. He warned that the continued neglect of indigenous contractors was hurting the domestic economy and worsening financial distress within the sector. In December 2025, President Bola Tinubu constituted a multi-ministerial committee to address the debt owed to federal contractors, estimated at about N1.5tn. This budgetary provision follows mounting pressure from indigenous contractors and civil society groups who, in 2025, raised alarm over unpaid contractual obligations.

Source: Punch January 20, 2026 05:21 UTC