N17bn debt: Tension as agric contractors threaten total shut down of ministry

By CALEB ONWE, Abuja

There was palpable tension on Tuesday as aggrieved contractors blocked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the sixth time, demanding for the payment of jobs they allegedly executed for the ministry.

The contractors, who claimed that the payment of their completed jobs since 2018, was over due, but the ministry has refused to pay.

Leader of the Concerned 2018 unpaid Contractors, Emeka Ihekwe said the aggrieved contractors have resolved to flood the ministry with members of their families to totally occupy the offices, should the government still hold unto their overdue payments.

According to him, the officials of the ministry have been making promises on the payment of the over N17 billion debt, but the Permanent Secretary has continually reneged.

Some of the contractors, Agatha Nwahiri and Wisdom Ochonma claimed that the ministry had sent it’s officers to verify the jobs in the various sites across the country, and had established the authenticity of the contractors’ claims.

Another aggrieved contractor, Abdullahi Tajudeen, alleged that the Permanent Secretary was delaying the payments for his own selfish interest.

He said: “The seven-day ultimatum we gave the ministry had expired and the ministry had refused to keep to their words to pay us.

“From tomorrow (Wednesday), we are going to flood the ministry with our family members for a total shut down, and we will occupy there until we are paid.” (New Telegraph)