coalition of indigenous contractors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has accused the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, of illegally withholding over ₦5.2billion in verified contract payments, describing it as “deliberate financial terrorism.”
Speaking at a tense press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, the Association, led by its Chairman and Coordinator, Mr. Chuka Muojindu, painted a dark and disturbing portrait of the situation.
According to Muojindu, the sum in question — ₦5,211,503,589.50 — covers legitimate contracts executed between September 2023 and May 2024, all within the tenure of Minister Wike.
The contracts, awarded through various FCTA Secretariats, Departments, and Agencies (SDAs), included drain desilting, sewage excavation, procurement of medical supplies, furniture for public institutions, stationery, drilling of boreholes, and more.
The contractors claim they executed the contracts to specification and that all works had been inspected, verified, and certified by the relevant arms of the FCT Administration. Yet, the final payment process was allegedly stalled without explanation—on the direct orders of the Minister himself.
We are not politicians. We were not sponsored by anyone. We are professionals who delivered on our contracts. Yet, for nearly two years now, the Minister has refused to sign off on our payments,” Muojindu told journalists.
He said the Association, which is legally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), has always been a partner in the development of the FCT, helping transform both urban and rural areas since the early years of the capital’s development.
But the contractors say the situation has turned their lives into a living nightmare.
Many of them, they allege, took bank loans to execute the contracts — loans that have now ballooned with interest. The inability to service these debts has resulted in property seizures, marital collapse, mental breakdowns, and even deaths.
“Over five of our members are dead — killed by high blood pressure, depression, and shame,” Muojindu said emotionally. “These were respectable men who lived responsible lives before being financially strangled by the system they served.”
He added that a pregnant female contractor, known to FCTA officials, reportedly lost her baby after a visit to the Treasury Department to beg for her payment yielded no result.
“She came to beg for her money. She wasn’t paid. She left in tears. She lost the baby shortly after. That blood is on someone’s hands,” he said.
In perhaps the most chilling revelation, the Association described how one of its members, Mr. Benson Ehuwa, sent a tearful WhatsApp plea to the Minister, begging to be paid so his children could return to school.
Instead of empathy, they say, the Minister responded with a squad of armed policemen.
“He was arrested, dragged to the Minister’s office, insulted, and handed over to the police. The Minister reportedly ordered that he be prosecuted unless it was proven he didn’t execute any job,” Muojindu said.
The police eventually visited the contract sites, confirmed the jobs were done, and yet — Ehuwa was still charged to court on allegations of harassing a public official.
The contractors also recalled how on August 15, 2024, they staged a peaceful protest at the FCTA gate along Kapital Road, Garki, holding banners and demanding payment. But instead of dialogue, they say they were met with police tear gas and violence, allegedly on Wike’s instructions.
“We didn’t block the road. We didn’t even chant. We just stood with banners. Minutes later, tear gas rained on us. Some of us were injured. We were treated like criminals,” the group recounted.
According to them, even some of the policemen deployed admitted off-record that they were ordered by the Minister to disperse the peaceful gathering.
The Association said it has written multiple letters to Wike, pleaded with top aides, sought intervention from “influential outsiders,” and even appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who reportedly directed the Minister to pay them—a directive Wike has allegedly ignored.
They also took their case to the National Assembly, but that too has yielded no results. “What crime did we commit? That we did our jobs?” Muojindu asked.
“This isn’t just about money anymore. It’s about dignity. It’s about survival. Families are breaking, people are dying, and the Minister is acting like we don’t exist.”
The Association is now calling on President Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, religious leaders, labour unions, and civil society to compel the Minister to act before more lives are lost.
“We are not looking for favours. We are only asking to be paid for jobs we were legally contracted to do — jobs already verified. Anything less is wickedness,” the group declared.
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