Contractors still being owed for 2024, 2025 constituency projects — Rep

Chinedu Obika, a member of Nigeria's House of Representatives, has disclosed that contractors undertaking constituency projects are still owed money for work dating back to 2024 and 2025. This situation has made contractors increasingly hesitant to accept new projects associated with the National Assembly.

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The president has released, through the budget, one billion twice for us. Budgeted and approved by the Assembly but not implemented, zero implementation. People are still being owed on 2024 contracts, 2025 contracts.

Obika, who represents the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in the Federal Capital Territory, explained that although constituency allocations have been budgeted and approved twice by the National Assembly, the funds have never been released. He stated that "People are still being owed on 2024 contracts, 2025 contracts." Consequently, contractors are now avoiding these projects because payment is selective, with only a few receiving their dues.

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If you bring a constituency project now, people are running away from the contracts because payment is selective, only a few are paid.

The lawmaker described the non-implementation of budgeted funds as one of the most concerning aspects of the current administration's governance. He noted that unpaid obligations have accumulated across successive budget years, affecting projects from 2023, 2024 (including supplementary budgets), and the upcoming 2025 budget. Obika asserted that this is the first time constituency projects have incurred such widespread unpaid obligations, where the government owes the contractors executing them.

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One thing I’m very unhappy about with this government is non-implementation of the budget. We have 2025, I’ve talked about 2024 that was moved. Some of them are still not being paid.

Obika further suggested that these unpaid contracts could serve as a quiet mechanism to suppress dissenting voices within the National Assembly. He explained that if lawmakers know that jobs in their constituencies remain unpaid and contractors are unwilling to proceed, it can effectively silence them from speaking out too forcefully against the executive branch.

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This is the first time constituency projects are being owed, government owes the people who carry out constituency projects; it isn’t done.