By Aaron Ossai
The House of Representatives has mandated the Accountant General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi to provide the spreadsheet detailing the payments made to contractors as a part of the N2.4 trillion approvals for payment by the government for project implementation.
The demand followed the confirmation by the Office of the Accountant-General that about N2.4 trillion has been approved for payment to contractors.
Similarly, the parliament also charged the contractors on projects authenticity, emphasizing the need for scrutiny to ensure that payments were made for legitimate and completed projects, stressing the contractors must ensure that projects paid for were “jobs well done” and not just for “a piece of paper or a certificate of completion.”
The aim essentially is to prevent situations where payments are made for projects that do not benefit citizens.
The Parliament spoke through its Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Budget implementation, Hon. Benjamin Kalu after a marathon meeting with the leadership and membership of the Association of Indigenous Contractors of Nigeria in Abuja.
It would be recalled that on the heels of the street protests previously embarked upon by the contractors over months of unpaid fees after project implementation, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen set up the committee to interface with all the parties and stakeholders involved.
The Committee first met on September 4, 2025 and brokered a truce, necessitating the payment of 25% of the fees.
It later announced of a subsequent appraisal meeting on September 21, 2025.
At the meeting on Sunday, the Director of Funds in the Office of the Accountant-General confirmed that N2. 4 trillion had been approved for payment.
He also revealed that the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun has further approved an extra N760 billion for warrant and cash backing for the remaining months, bringing the total to about N3.1 trillion.
