By Emmanuel Olugua
Plans by indigenous contractors to disrupt the forthcoming All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention appear to have been shelved following the opening of negotiations with the Federal Government over outstanding debts.
The President of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), Jackson Nwosu, confirmed on Wednesday in Abuja that discussions with the government were now underway, describing initial engagements as positive.
This marks a shift from the association’s earlier stance, when it had threatened to disrupt the APC national convention scheduled for March 27–28 over alleged non-payment of N150 billion, part of a total N1.15 trillion debt owed to its members.
At a protest in Abuja on Tuesday, Nwosu had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government, warning that failure to pay the demanded sum would lead to direct action at the convention venue.
“For AICAN members, only N21bn has been paid. What remains is over N1tn, but our immediate demand is N150bn. This must be paid in the next two days,” he had said.
However, following a meeting with the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, the contractors’ leadership softened its position, indicating a willingness to engage through dialogue.
Nwosu said the outcome of the meeting was encouraging, adding that the government had proposed to pay 35 per cent of the N150 billion immediately, with the balance to be settled in phases in the coming weeks.
“The outcome of our meeting with the Minister was positive. However, we hope the government will honour its commitments,” he said.
He disclosed that contractors had been directed to obtain their batch numbers from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as part of the payment process, although he noted that the timeline given was tight.
According to him, those without valid batch numbers would be required to obtain new warrants, following updates to the system for the new fiscal year.
The contractors had resumed protests on March 24, citing prolonged delays in the settlement of debts arising from capital projects executed across states and the Federal Capital Territory in 2024.
AICAN officials had also expressed frustration over what they described as repeated broken promises, linking the delays partly to the extension of the 2024 budget implementation cycle to March 2026 without corresponding fund releases.