Aggrieved indigenous contractors if the federal Ministry of Works have threaten to stage a peaceful protest over the non payment of their monies running into billions of naira.

Addressing journalists on behalf of the contractors, Vitalis Maduka accused officials of the ministry was frustrating local contractors through deliberate failure to treat their files and ensure money owed them is paid.

The contractors thereby issued the ministry a one week ultimatum to treat their files and direct for immediate payment of their contract money or risk protest.

Maduka wondered why the ministry chose to offset monies owned foreign contractors at the expense of indigenous contractors who have lived up to their contractual obligations.

Maduka particularly who blamed the permanent secretary, Mahmuda Mamman for their ordeal disclosed that hey would embark on massive protest to ministry of works, office of the Head of Service of the federation, the National Assembly and National Human Rights Commission to press home their demands.

The threat is coming few days after a civil society organisation, Governance Monitor Initiative (GMI) urged President Bola Ahmad Tinubu to urgently redeploy the permanent secretary for allegedly sabotaging the new government’s efforts efforts.

Led by the programme manager of GMI, Frank Chigozie, the rights groups accused the permanent secretary of deliberately frustrating efforts to move the country’s infrastructure development forward.

They alleged that because of the perm sec’s attitude which is a clear sabotage, the contractors handling work on flood control have abandoned sites.

When contacted, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing which promised that it will respond after obtaining approval later called to say that it is a vague accusation and that the ministry won’t respond to unauthenticated allegations.

The director of press in the ministry, Blessing Lere-Adams, noted that there are two things that she observed in the accusation. That firstly, there is no signature of anybody who is writing the petition and secondly, no date on it. So she is going to drop it.

“I’m sorry, the petition must be authenticated by these: an identifiable address date/reference well endorsed with a name/mobile number inclusive. Only then it can be attended to. Please note!!!” She said.