There was commotion at the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Monday, when protesting local contractors prevented Doris Uzoka-Anite, the minister of state for finance, from accessing the complex.
The protesters, under the aegis of the All Indigenous
Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), blocked the gate of the ministry
over debt owed by the federal government.
When Uzoka-Anite arrived at the entrance, security
operatives attempted to create a pathway into the building for her — a move
that was rejected by the demonstrators.
Amid the scuffle, a gunshot was heard as security personnel
attempted to disperse the protesters.
The contractors had accused the federal government of
refusing to pay them for projects executed.
They had also accused the federal government of refusing to
release the funds earmarked in the 2024/2025 budgets.
Since 2025, the contractors had organised a series of
protests at the National Assembly Complex and finance ministry.
In December 2025, President Bola Tinubu set up a
multi-ministerial committee to resolve the debt owed to federal contractors
with outstanding payments at about N1.5 trillion.
The committee members are Wale Edun, minister of finance and
coordinating minister of the economy; Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and
economic planning; Tanimu Yakubu, director-general of the budget office; Dave
Umahi, minister of works; Ahmed Dangiwa, minister of housing and urban
development; and Zacch Adedeji, chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service
(FIRS).
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