Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Tuesday fired teargas canisters at members of the Coalition of Indigenous FCT Contractors who were protesting an alleged unpaid debt of N5.2 billion owed them by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The contractors arrived early at the FCTA secretariat in Abuja, blocking the main entrance with a truck while chanting the name of Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, and demanding immediate payment for projects they said were fully executed and verified.
Security operatives cordoned off the entrance to prevent the protesters from accessing the premises.
After a standoff that lasted several minutes, police officers fired multiple rounds of teargas to disperse the crowd, forcing many protesters to flee the area.
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Speaking after the confrontation, Chuka Muojindu, leader of the coalition, said the N5,211,503,589 debt covers public works ranging from drain desilting and sewage evacuation to medical supplies, school furniture, borehole drilling and other community projects.
According to him, all the contracts were duly inspected, verified and forwarded for payment, but the minister has allegedly refused to authorise the final release of the funds.
“Every contract was inspected, verified and forwarded for payment but the minister has refused to approve the final release,” he said.
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“Over five of our members have died. Some developed severe hypertension, some lost their homes and marriages.”
Over the past few months, the contractors have been protesting against Wike and the federal government while demanding for the payment of the executed project.
On Sunday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) threatened to mobilise its members and supporters for street protests in solidarity with thousands of indigenous contractors and pensioners owed billions of naira by the federal government.
As of the time of filing this report, the FCTA had not issued a statement regarding the incident or the status of the payment.
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The protesting contractors vowed to continue their demonstrations until the government clears the outstanding debt.
