Unless there is a last-minute alteration in plans, a group of disgruntled indigenous contractors appears to be edging toward a confrontational stance with the Federal Ministry of Works.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Their dissatisfaction stems from the ministry’s failure to disburse payments for completed contracts.

On Monday, the contractors issued an ultimatum of one week to the ministry, demanding prompt attention to their cases and the immediate release of their contract funds….CONTINUE READING

The contractors, represented by Vitalis Maduka, asserted that local contractors were facing intentional hindrances in the form of stalled file processing, resulting in the withholding of funds, despite having completed their work or made significant progress on their projects.

Maduka leveled an accusation against the ministry, alleging that while foreign contractors were being compensated, the treatment of local contractors’ claims was being deliberately delayed.

Should the permanent secretary, Mahmuda Mamman, fail to respond adequately to the contractors’ demands, they are prepared to stage a large-scale protest.

The targeted locations for their protest include the Ministry of Works, the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, the National Assembly, and the National Human Rights Commission. Their aim is to garner support for the redeployment of the permanent secretary.

This threat follows closely after Governance Monitor Initiative (GMI), a civil society organization, urged President Bola Ahmad Tinubu to swiftly reassign the permanent secretary, whom they accused of obstructing the government’s infrastructure development efforts.

According to GMI’s program manager, Frank Chigozie, the actions of the permanent secretary have led to the abandonment of flood control projects by contractors.

When approached for a response, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing initially indicated that it would address the issue after securing approval.

Subsequently, the ministry conveyed that it deemed the accusations vague and unauthenticated, therefore choosing not to respond.

Blessing Lere-Adams, the ministry’s director of press, highlighted two deficiencies in the contractors’ allegations: the absence of a signature and a date on the petition. Consequently, she stated that the ministry would not engage further until the petition is properly authenticated with relevant details.