Enraged contractors storm Ministry of Agric in the FCT, blocked the entrance to the Minister’s office
More than 50 enraged contractors angrily stormed Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Wednesday to demand their unpaid money owed by the Ministry after executing contracts worth millions of naira which was supposed to have been paid since 2018.
The enraged contractors in a bid to show their anger blocked the entrance to the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development’s entrance to his office, after forcefully penetrating the Ministry’s building despite all attempts to be stopped by the security.
The enraged contractors then chanted different words, but soon on chanting harmoniously “The Minister must go, The Permanent Secretary must go.” Give us our money. The enraged contractors alleged that the Ministry has refused to pay them for different contracts they executed since 2018.
And according to the enraged contractors who bitterly narrated how they had to take loans from banks and different sources to complete the projects hoping that they would get their money and refund the loans collected from banks and other avenues, but the case is very much different as their hopes were dashed and many of them are now under due stress from the banks and sources they loaned money from to pay back.
The sad part of their story came in when they added that “Many of our colleague contractors, who also participated in executing their own different projects have died because of overthinking how they will pay the banks and others whose money is they owe due to not being paid by the Ministry.”
A reaction from one Ms. Ada Nwaniri caught the attention of many and she disclosed that she borrowed #23million from a bank to execute two borehole projects in Akwa Ibom a state in the south-south region of Nigeria, she also said: “I had already been issued the certificate for the completion of the project but haven’t received anything yet, despite several promises by the Ministry.
She also added that: “I have been having sleepless nights and is constantly faced with worries, because the bank where she collected the loan is always on her neck because the agreed time of repaying the loan has ended.
It is very obvious that Ms. Ada Nwaniri is tired of the sleepless nights and the constant worries which made her to further repeat what she said earlier, thus: “I executed two borehole projects for the Ministry in Akwa Ibom since 2018. The money they are owing Me is about #23million.
And since the newly appointed Permanent Secretary came, all I have been getting is promises upon promises that I will be paid and for the past seven months, the promises have not been fulfilled.
“I borrowed money from the bank to execute the contract, and I have other pilling bills to pay, but the Ministry is yet to pay us” she said.
In the heat of the moment came another aggrieved contractor, named Comrade Lucky also claimed that the Ministry embarked on a selective payment while others were left out when they heard about it, they complained and were also promised to be paid but till now the promise has not been kept.
He further said: “We are here to take our destiny in our own hands, because since 2018 we were given the contracts, we bidded for, which we executed, we have been coming for our payment with the issued certificate of contract completion by the Ministry.
“The Ministry based on their own reasons and consideration did selective payment leaving some of us out.
We met the Minister and the Permanent Secretary, yet nothing was done about it. At a point, we were promised to be paid by the Permanent Secretary, but later declined to pay us”.
He further alleged that “I was told that some of the Ministry officials have been demanding for percentages from some of My contractor colleagues, but no one has asked Me for such.
After all the protest, we are yet to conclude on the Ministry’s response to the enraged contractors.
By: Ayooluwa Joshua