According to them, they are owed N5.2 billion by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for completed contracts awarded by the FCT Administration.
Contractors in the Federal Capital Territory, under the aegis of Association of Indigenous Contractors of FCT, are pleading with President Bola Tinubu for help.
According to them, they are owed N5.2 billion by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for completed contracts awarded by the FCT Administration. The contractors are desperate for payment, citing the enormous debt of N5,211,503,589.05.
This isn't the first time Minister Wike has faced controversy. Recently, contractors petitioned the National Assembly, accusing him of abuse of power and non-payment for completed projects.
One contractor, Benson Ehuwa, also lamented being detained on Wike's orders for sending the minister a reminder about the unpaid contracts.
The Association of Indigenous Contractors of FCT is seeking President Tinubu's intervention to resolve this financial crisis and ensure they receive fair compensation for their work.
The contractors, in a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to President Tinubu on Wednesday, jointly signed by the Executive Council (Exco) members of their umbrella group, Association of Indigenous Contractors of FCT, Mr Jamilu Gwandu, Mr Ibrahim Sabi, Mr. Manasseh Chahul, Mr Benson Ehuwa, and Mr Andy Kor, pleaded with the President to direct the minister to pay them for the contracts.
According to letter, the projects included sundry works on sewage, drainage, planting of trees in the nation's capital, desalination of public water, maintenance and equipping of public secondary schools and hospitals, among others.
According to the contractors, Wike authorized several meetings on the matter through his subordinates, only to refuse to pay for over a year now for unknown reasons.
The letter reads in part, "The Hon. Minister, rather than address the matter by directing our payment for the said jobs, resorted to physical harassment, oppression, using the police to teargas us, arrest and detain some of our members, simply for demanding our legal and legitimate rewards/payments. It defies justice and fairness --these two very virtues Your Excellency holds dear.
"Our tear-gassing during a peaceful protest in front of FCTA Secretariat gates on July 23,2024, was widely reported in the media.
"We have worked with past FCT Ministers in a cordial, warm relationship, which led to the practical implantation of a verifiable explosion of public utility projects across the FCT for the benefit of Nigerians and visitors alike."
Declaring that they were compelled to reach out to some prominent Nigerians close to the minister to plead with him to settle their contracts bill, which they said was to no avail, they urged President Tinubu to urgently wade into the matter for them to be paid.
The letter adds: "Mr President, you are etched in gold in Nigeria's annals as a nice man, who rejected the jackboot style of governance, hence your resort to fighting military dictatorship until your efforts, alongside those of a rainbow coalition of pro-democracy activists, birthed Nigeria's current democracy in 1999.
"Your well-lauded election, subsequently, as Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria's commercial capital, was a fitting reward for a man who had suffered plenty of personal and group losses to kick out tyranny and usher in rule by the people's will.
"As we write, many of our members are sick and in different hospitals, some struck down with sudden, potential killer high blood pressure; some evicted by their landlords/landladies; most have children who are now out of school due to lack of money to clear the rising backlog of fees. Hunger has inevitably crept into our homes. The sight of our family members crying out for food that we can't afford to provide can easily kill a man!
"On bended knees, we appeal to your renowned milk of human kindness to order Wike to give us our money."