Breaking: Reps Suspend Plenary As Contractors Storm National Assembly In Protest

The House of Representatives has suspended plenary for one week following a massive protest by local contractors who blocked the entrance to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, demanding payment for projects completed since 2024.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The demonstration caused severe traffic congestion and disrupted legislative activities, prompting lawmakers to adjourn all sessions until next Tuesday. The break will allow the House leadership to engage the executive arm of government and ensure contractors receive their long-overdue payments.

The decision followed a motion of urgent national importance by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), who highlighted the “dire plight” of the contractors.

“You recall that our local contractors, our brothers and sisters, besieged the National Assembly today, protesting that they have not been paid for jobs completed under the 2024 budget,” Chinda said. “This non-payment has caused untold hardship, and it is our duty as a Parliament to take a stand.”

Chinda noted that the protest arose from the Federal Government’s failure to implement directives previously given by President Bola Tinubu, instructing the Ministers of Finance and Budget to release funds for completed projects.

Seven-day ultimatum to finance and budget ministers
The House resolved to give Finance Minister Wale Edun, Budget and Economic Planning Minister Atiku Bagudu, and the Accountant-General of the Federation seven days to settle all outstanding payments to the protesting contractors and commence full implementation of the 2025 budget.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, presiding over plenary, put the motion to a voice vote, which was unanimously adopted across party lines.

Drama ensued shortly after when Hon. Kabiru Ahmadu Mai-Palace (APC, Zamfara) moved a follow-up motion to suspend plenary for one week to allow the executive to act on the ultimatum. Supporting him, Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, emphasized that the suspension was practical given that protesters had blocked access to the National Assembly.

The motion was unanimously approved, with Deputy Speaker Kalu announcing that plenary would remain suspended until next Tuesday. The House leadership was mandated to ensure strict compliance with the resolution and report back within one week for potential “drastic legislative action” should the executive fail to meet the deadline.

The protest, which began early Tuesday, saw scores of indigenous contractors carrying placards and chanting at the National Assembly entrance. They claimed the government owes billions of naira for projects executed under the 2024 fiscal year. Security personnel, including police and civil defence, were deployed to control the crowd as lawmakers struggled to enter the complex before adjourning proceedings.