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Finance ministry, Accountant-General slammed over delayed contractors' payments

The Centre for Economic Justice and Social Equity (CEJSE) has accused Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of gross negligence for the continued non-payment of verified contractors who have completed government projects across the country.

In a strongly worded statement signed by its president, Dr. Ibrahim Okehi Omeiza, the group warned that the delays are having devastating economic consequences, crippling small businesses, increasing unemployment, and undermining public trust.

“The consistent refusal or failure to pay duly verified contractors has now become a silent but deadly virus spreading through the Nigerian economy,” said Dr. Omeiza. “Contractors are the lifeblood of national development… When they are owed for months and sometimes years, it leads to layoffs, defaults on loans, and a breakdown of local economies that depend on them.”

Describing the situation as a form of economic injustice, CEJSE noted that many contractors took high-interest loans to execute projects, only to be met with silence when seeking payment. “It is unconscionable that after fulfilling their end of a legally binding agreement, contractors are made to go from one ministry to another like beggars,” he added.

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CEJSE said some contractors have waited up to 18 months for payment on certified and approved projects, despite the availability of budgetary allocations.

“This is not just a fiscal issue; it’s a moral one,” Omeiza said. “We are no longer dealing with isolated incidents. It is systemic, deliberate, and disastrous.”

He stressed the broader impact of the delays: “When a contractor shuts down due to non-payment, workers are sent home. Markets that supply building materials are affected. Families go hungry. Children are withdrawn from school. We are watching a chain reaction of despair, and the silence from key government officials is deafening.”

The group called for an immediate release of all outstanding payments, a public audit of the payment delays, and comprehensive reforms in contractor payment processes.

“If this process is being obstructed—whether by incompetence, bureaucracy, or corruption—then it must be dismantled,” Dr. Omeiza said. “This is the only way to protect what’s left of our economic credibility.”

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He also issued a warning: “We are giving this administration a final opportunity to make things right. But if the Finance Minister and Accountant-General fail to act urgently, we will pursue this matter in the courts of law and the courts of public opinion.”

The Centre called for the immediate release of outstanding payments to all contractors who have completed and certified their projects, a public audit of the delay pattern, and a commitment to systemic reform in how contractor payments are processed across ministries and agencies.

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