Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Tuesday fired
teargas canisters at members of the Coalition of Indigenous FCT Contractors who
were protesting an alleged unpaid debt of N5.2 billion owed them by the Federal
Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The contractors arrived early at the FCTA secretariat in
Abuja, blocking the main entrance with a truck while chanting the name of
Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, and demanding immediate payment for projects
they said were fully executed and verified.
Security operatives cordoned off the entrance to prevent the
protesters from accessing the premises.
After a standoff that lasted several minutes, police
officers fired multiple rounds of teargas to disperse the crowd, forcing many
protesters to flee the area.
Speaking after the confrontation, Chuka Muojindu, leader of
the coalition, said the N5,211,503,589 debt covers public works ranging from
drain desilting and sewage evacuation to medical supplies, school furniture,
borehole drilling and other community projects.
According to him, all the contracts were duly inspected,
verified and forwarded for payment, but the minister has allegedly refused to
authorise the final release of the funds.
“Every contract was inspected, verified and forwarded for
payment but the minister has refused to approve the final release,” he said.
“Over five of our members have died. Some developed severe
hypertension, some lost their homes and marriages.”
Over the past few months, the contractors have been
protesting against Wike and the federal government while demanding for the
payment of the executed project.
On Sunday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) threatened
to mobilise its members and supporters for street protests in solidarity with
thousands of indigenous contractors and pensioners owed billions of naira by
the federal government.
As of the time of filing this report, the FCTA had not
issued a statement regarding the incident or the status of the payment.
The protesting contractors vowed to continue their
demonstrations until the government clears the outstanding debt.
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