AICAN Protests in Abuja Over Unpaid ₦1tn Debt for Completed Government Projects

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

On Wednesday, members of the Association of Indigenous Contractors of Nigeria (AICAN) held a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja to demand payment of outstanding debts for completed government projects that amount to hundreds of billions of Naira.

During the demonstration, AICAN President Jackson Nwosu said the contractors’ situation had not improved since a meeting with the new Minister of Finance, Oyedele Taiwo, held about two weeks earlier.

“We met with him and he promised to make payments to us last week Friday, 08/04/2026. But that has passed now,” Nwosu said. “We were asked to come for payments for our members, only for us to notice that payments were released to others.”

Nwosu stated that the association is owed more than ₦1 trillion in total, with a large portion still outstanding after partial disbursements. He added that the ministry had previously pledged to release approximately ₦500 billion.

“We were told by Friday they will do something, that by 2024 payments will be cleared and most of the payment will be made. But as we speak now, we are back here for a peaceful protest,” he said.

The contractors announced that they were scheduled to meet with ministry officials before 10 a.m. and would decide their next steps based on the meeting’s outcome.

“If the payment is not done, we will know the next step to take after the meeting,” Nwosu said.

He described the non‑payment as having a severe impact on members, with many losing property and struggling to support their families.

“A lot of our members have lost their property. Most of our members will be going to Lagos and we are going to take care of our members. A lot of us cannot even take care of our peers. Some of us are washed away because there is no money to take care of you,” he said.

AICAN has repeatedly accused the government of failing to settle liabilities for projects completed in 2024 and has staged several protests in Abuja over the issue. The group says the delays are crippling businesses and livelihoods of indigenous contractors nationwide.

The Ministry of Finance had not issued an official response at the time of this report.