Protesting Contractors Attempt to Obstruct Minister’s Access to Office

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

In continuation of last year’s demonstrations over unpaid contractual fees, local contractors again besieged the the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja, yesterday where they attempted to obstruct the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite from gaining access to the ministry.Under the umbrella of All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), the protesters, who had first assembled close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from matched to the finance ministry’s central gate around 10am.On getting to the ministry, they blocked the gate, demanding the payment of contract fees owed them by the federal government.In December last year, the same contractors had for many days effectively blocked the ministry’s gate and stopped anyone from gaining access into it or exit therefrom.However, unlike the December episodes where neither the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. Mr. Wale Edun nor the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite avoided the ministry while the protests lasted for days, yesterday’s protest was different.On arriving the entrance of the ministry yesterday, Uzoka-Anite’s security details made efforts to pave the way for her into the building, but the protesting contractors would have none of that.Instead, they erupted in chants, “How many people government go kill. How many people government go kill.”It was a hectic time trying to persuade the protesters to make way for the minister to gain access into the ministry.Gunshots were fired into the air by security personnel to disperse the protesters.Since last year, the contractors are demanding payment for most of the executed and commissioned projects.In December 2025, President Bola Tinubu set up a multi-ministerial committee to resolve the debt owed to federal contractors, with outstanding payments standing at about N1.5 trillion.The committee members comprised Wale Edun; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi;Minister of Housing and urban Development; Chairman of the Nigerian Revenue (NRS) formerly known as Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).A similar committee set up by the Senate had also invited Edun, to explain the circumstances surrounding the non-payment of the “debts”.Last year, the contractors organised a series of protests at the National Assembly complex and finance ministry.