A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, has urged President Bola Tinubu to dismiss the Minister of Finance, Wale Edu, and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zack Adedeji, over alleged mismanagement of funds owed to local contractors.
The lawmaker, representing Ideato Federal Constituency, stormed the Ministry of Finance on Thursday in solidarity with aggrieved contractors, who have occupied the ministry since Tuesday to demand payment of outstanding contracts.
Addressing journalists at the protest site, Ugochinyere said the government was already benefiting from the executed projects.
“In my constituency, streetlights are functioning, water boreholes are running, and erosion control measures are in place.
“These are jobs executed in line with the Procurement Act. The government is already enjoying the benefits,” he said.
He added that non-payment of contractors was affecting their ability to settle obligations to suppliers and banks.
“Families cannot fulfill their obligations. Banks cannot recover their money. Some contractors even borrowed money from friends or used their vehicles as collateral to execute these projects,” Ugochinyere lamented.
The lawmaker warned that continued delays in payment reflect poorly on the Finance Minister and FIRS boss.
“If local contractors cannot be paid, I see no reason why the Finance Minister should remain in office. I am calling on President Tinubu to sack them if they cannot discharge this national duty,” he said.
Ugochinyere stressed that paying local contractors was not a favour but a national responsibility.
“We are still financing trillion-naira projects that do not impact the daily lives of Nigerians, yet local contractors remain unpaid. This is unacceptable,” he added.
The protest comes amid growing concerns over delays in the settlement of N760 billion owed to contractors across the country, with the Ministry of Finance yet to provide a timeline for payment.
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