Abuja: The National President of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), Mr. Jackson Nwosu, has called on the Federal Government to urgently clear outstanding payments owed to contractors. Nwosu made the appeal on Thursday in Abuja during a medical outreach organised to mark the association’s one-year anniversary of advocacy for the payment of contracts executed by its members. He highlighted that prolonged delays in payment had subjected many contractors to severe financial hardship and health challenges.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the association deliberately marked the anniversary with a health assessment because several members had developed stress-related illnesses, while others had died from complications linked to hypertension and abnormal blood sugar levels. ‘We organised this health assessment to enable our members know their health status through proper medical examinations conducted by doctors, optometrists and other healthcare professionals. We believe that early detection and proper management of health conditions will help prevent avoidable deaths among our members,’ Nwosu stated.
Nwosu noted that the association’s year-long advocacy had yielded some positive results, with a number of contractors receiving payments for completed projects. However, he acknowledged that significant work remained, as many members were still owed for jobs executed between 2024 and 2026. Many contractors financed government projects through bank loans and now face rising interest rates and pressure from financial institutions for debt recovery. Some members have already lost properties due to their inability to meet loan repayment obligations.
The Vice President of the association, Mr. Ode Agada, also spoke on the issue, highlighting that many members had developed serious health complications, including high blood pressure and heart-related ailments, while others had tragically died due to financial stress linked to unpaid contracts. He praised the medical personnel involved in the outreach for providing valuable guidance on managing health and preventing avoidable deaths, noting, ‘The medical personnel have been tremendous. They have given us useful advice, especially at a time when many contractors are under serious financial and emotional stress due to unpaid jobs.’
Agada attributed the delays in payment to the current centralised payment system, where disbursements are processed through the Federal Ministry of Finance. Despite engaging with the Minister of Finance and other government officials, many contractors are still awaiting payment. He argued that the former decentralised system, under which Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) processed payments directly, was more efficient and reduced delays. Agada urged the federal government to expedite action on settling all outstanding contractual obligations, emphasizing that this would ease the financial burden on indigenous contractors, enable repayment of bank loans, and safeguard businesses and livelihoods.
A medical practitioner, Dr. Karen Ogunowo, who participated in the outreach, advised members to prioritise their health and manage stress effectively. She explained that the exercise aimed to raise awareness on preventive healthcare and encourage participants to take greater responsibility for their well-being. The medical team conducted blood pressure and blood sugar tests, while also providing health education on healthy living and disease prevention.