• ‘We would rather die protesting than die silently at home’
• Allege 90 per cent of contracts done are constituency projects

Protesters under the aegis of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) have stormed Nigeria’s National Assembly, blocking its main entrance gate over alleged non-payment for completed projects that have long been commissioned by the government.

The protesters, who arrived at the Assembly complex in large numbers before being stopped at the gate by security personnel, said the Federal Government had failed repeatedly to keep its commitment to pay them for contracts executed, completed, and handed over.

AICAN National President, Jackson Ifeanyi, explained that the association had been forced to protest because, while the Federal Government had been paying local instructors for jobs done, it had neglected local contractors by failing to pay them for completed jobs and had continuously reneged on its promises to do so on several occasions.

Ifeanyi lamented the situation, saying, “I don’t know what this government is trying to do with us. Since the last time we met with principal officers, including the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, on the 21st of October, they said they released a warrant of ₦760 billion and the cashback would be within that week, but since then, we have not received any payments.

“What we are demanding is payment for all the contracts completed. If they don’t pay, we will remain on the streets. We will occupy different parts of government agencies to ensure this payment is made, and we will continue until the 31st of December.”

He said the government owed indigenous contractors sums running into billions, if not trillions, of naira; therefore, they would remain on the streets protesting. If the government wished to kill them, he said, they would rather die fighting for their payments than die in their homes or while hiding from banks that were pressuring them to repay loans collected to execute the projects.

“The international community will hear about it if nothing is done. Let the government kill us on the streets. They are owing us billions of naira, even trillions.

“We lost three of our members last week, and instead of dying at home, let us come and die in the streets. The National Assembly, as a parliament, has kept mute over this.”

The National President also revealed that most of the projects were constituency projects that had already been commissioned, adding that lawmakers were taking the glory while contractors bore the pain.

Addressing the aggrieved contractors, the Director of Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly, Brigadier General Etido Ekpo (Rtd), promised to convey the contractors’ message to the National Assembly leadership.

He said the legislators were busy with other national issues but would be duly informed of AICAN’s concerns.