The resolution followed a four-hour marathon meeting in Abuja on Thursday, convened by Mr. Kalu in his capacity as Chairman of the House Special Committee on Budget Implementation. The session brought together over 80 contractors alongside the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, senior government officials, and members of the House Committees on Appropriation and Finance.
Contractors had earlier staged a protest at the Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja to demand payment for capital projects executed in 2024. According to the Secretary of their association, Babatunde Seun, assurances given in past engagements with officials had yielded little, with only a handful of payments made out of thousands of pending claims.
At Thursday’s dialogue, however, all parties reached a consensus to begin disbursement from Monday, immediately after the public holiday, once the Central Bank reopens.
“We had over four hours engagement and they left here smiling. We got the strategy in place, and we’re going to come back on the 21st of this month to review what we’ve done so far, how we’ve ticked the boxes, what needs to be done and the way forward,” Kalu said after the meeting.
He emphasized that beyond clearing arrears, the deal was about restoring trust between government and local contractors who play a vital role in national development.
Finance Minister Edun praised the Deputy Speaker’s leadership, noting that the talks produced a systematic payment framework with commitments secured from the Accountant-General. Ogunjimi confirmed that payments had already begun in phases and would be scaled up from next week.
Leaders of the Association of Indigenous Contractors of Nigeria welcomed the resolution and announced a suspension of their protests, describing the outcome as a lifeline that prevented further disruption of government activities and shielded the economy from potential shocks.
The House is expected to reconvene on September 21 to review progress on the implementation of the agreement.
