Why Declare Trillions in Revenue If You Can’t Pay Contractors, Pensioners? — ADC Slams FG

…Party Questions Claims of Financial Stability Amid Mounting Arrears and Protests

By Yinka Giwa
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a swipe at the Federal Government over its failure to settle outstanding payments owed to local contractors and federal pensioners, despite repeatedly announcing trillions of naira in revenue inflows.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party found it alarming that pensioners and contractors were being pushed to the brink while government officials boasted about robust national finances.

The Coalition of Federal Pensioners of Nigeria, which protested at the Ministry of Finance earlier this week, has threatened to embark on a nationwide naked protest today over unpaid pension increment arrears and palliative allowances. Local contractors under the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) also stormed the ministry over delayed payments for completed and inaugurated projects reportedly exceeding N4 trillion.

Abdullahi said the ADC might be compelled to join the nationwide protests if the government fails to take urgent action. He decried the plight of contractors who have been camping at the ministry, awaiting payment for work already delivered, and expressed solidarity with pensioners threatening to march naked in frustration.

The ADC spokesman questioned the contradiction between the government’s claims of strong financial performance and its failure to honour obligations to those who have served the nation or executed approved contracts. “How can contractors still be owed over N500 billion for completed projects if the country is truly as financially stable as officials claim?” Abdullahi asked. He also queried why pensioners continue to wait more than a year for increments and palliatives already approved.

He reiterated that the ADC stands ready to march with the affected groups if the Federal Government does not immediately move to resolve the growing crisis.