Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has constituted a high-level ministerial committee to tackle the long-standing issue of unpaid obligations to more than 2,000 federal contractors.
The move follows months of sustained pressure from indigenous contractors who claim the Federal Government owes them over N4 trillion for completed projects.
The prolonged non-payment has reportedly pushed many into severe financial distress, triggering repeated protests at the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly in late 2025.
Contractors say the delays have led to loan defaults, loss of property, deteriorating health conditions, and, in some cases, deaths among affected members.
Although the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, had earlier outlined a structured pathway for settling the debts, following directives from President Tinubu to commence payments, contractors insist that less than one per cent have been paid, with no significant progress recorded.
Addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, Onanuga said the President held “a very productive discussion” with ministers after receiving a fresh briefing on the scale and implications of the outstanding payments.
He said the situation has created bottlenecks and undermined service delivery in critical sectors where contractors had executed government-approved projects.
To address the problem, Onanuga said the President has approved a coordinated mechanism to verify claims, reconcile records, and propose sustainable financing options.
The committee comprises the Minister of Finance; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning; Director-General of the Budget Office; Minister of Works; Minister of Education; Minister of Housing and Urban Development; and the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment.
According to him, the ministers and senior officials are expected to “sit together, harmonise data, and develop a comprehensive solution that will determine how and when the outstanding payments will be settled.”
He stressed that President Tinubu remains committed to restoring transparency and order to the contractor-payment process, ensuring that genuine contractors are paid promptly while blocking abuses and irregularities.
“The committee has the President’s full backing to resolve this matter decisively,” Onanuga assured.
In other news, President Tinubu has announced a new security and economic framework aimed at unlocking Nigeria’s vast marine and aquatic resources under the blue economy as one of the country’s most critical sectors for national transformation.
Accordingly, he directed all relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to immediately review and implement recommendations by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies’ (NIPSS) comprehensive study on blue economy development.
