NEWS
FCTA Local Contractors Protest Non-payment of N5.2bn Bills
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
Local contractors in the FCT staged a protest at the minister’s gate yesterday to protest the non-payment of contract sums, allegedly totalling about N5bn over a period of two years.Some of the contractors who spoke to our correspondent said individuals’ debts owed ran into millions, while appealing to the minister to interface directly with them to gain a better understanding of their demands.
“The thing is that we’ve done jobs with the FCT over the years. When the minister came, he paid us some. Most of our liabilities presently are from the present administration. But we have not been paid for almost two years now,” one of the contractors, Okeke Benardine said.“And if you look there, those are some of the ACs I installed. Some of the offices, I did inverters, I did borehole. And all we are doing is begging the minister. We don’t know the problem; he should just pay us. That is the essence of all this.“Some other people did some jobs with AMMC. Most of my work is with Education and RUWASSA. Some did maintenance with the Water Board, some Health. We don’t know why they are not paying us,” he added.Asked how much the FCTA owed the contractors, Bernadine said, “So the bill we have here is N5.2bn. Roughly, I am owed about N270 million. I have met one or two people who said their bills are not here, so I am sure it’s more than N5.2bn. I know some of our members are saying their bill is before 2023. But I can assure you that 70 per cent of the bill is from 2023.”Another contractor, Adebola Benson, alleged that he had been arrested over the issue, after sending a text to the FCT Minister to ask why the payments were yet to be made.“Like in my own case, I was arrested because of this matter, because I sent him a text, asking why we are having this issue. And the next thing I saw was a Police officer calling me. So, my job was investigated. And I think the Police reported back to him. But I do not know why the Police did that,” he stated.He appealed to the minister to listen to the demands of the contractors, stating, “We are begging him to do what he can do to make sure this money is being paid. My personal money is in millions. I can’t disclose the total sum, but it’s in millions.”“So, we want the situation where he will listen to us directly, not from people who are around him. We want him to talk to us one-on-one. Let us know what the problem is, and why he is not paying,” he added.Some of the contractors held placards that read, “Hon Minister Wike, please kindly authorise our payment. We can hardly take care of our families,” and “Hon Minister Wike, please extend your kindness to us by authorising indigenous contractors’ payment,” among others.Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has dismissed claims that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike awarded contracts worth N5 billion to local contractors.In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said no such contracts were issued by the Minister.“No contract was awarded to any of the local contractors by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. If they have documents showing the award of contracts by the Minister, they should produce them,” Olayinka stated.He explained that what Wike inherited were outstanding bills from previous administrations, totalling N10bn, which had been paid in two tranches of payments, and not fresh contracts.“In December 2023, a bill of about N10 billion was presented to the Minister as outstanding payment on jobs done by local contractors before he assumed office. They called it ‘Shopping’ or Minor Procurement.“The same December 2023, payment of over N5 billion was approved by the Minister, and this was made immediately. In January 2024, another more than N5 billion was paid, clearing the over N10 billion outstanding bills,” he said.Olayinka noted that three months later, another set of contractors surfaced with fresh claims amounting to N15 billion, raising questions from the Minister himself.The media further questioned the changing figures being put forward by the contractors. “From N15 billion to N8 billion and now N5 billion, the question is, on whose authority were the contracts awarded? Those are the questions they have to answer first,” Olayinka stressed.The FCTA maintained that while Wike has honoured inherited debts, he has not issued new contracts under the disputed “minor procurement” arrangement.
By David Torough, Abuja
The founders and Senior Pastors of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), Dr. Paul and Dr. (Mrs.) Becky Enenche, have successfully trained and empowered 100 individuals in agribusiness as part of their commitment to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Dr.
Paul Enenche made the announcement during the church’s Thanksgiving and Testimony Service on Sunday, highlighting the initiative as a strategic effort to promote self-reliance and agricultural productivity.According to the cleric, each beneficiary will be allocated at least one hectare of farmland to commence farming activities upon completion of the training programme.
He further disclosed that the beneficiaries will receive monthly stipends to support them until their agricultural produce is ready for harvest.Dr. Enenche noted that the training and empowerment programme represents a significant investment, with each participant’s training costing approximately ₦500,000.
The beneficiaries, who constitute Batch A of the Entrepreneurship Agribusiness Training Programme, graduated from the C.S.S. Farm and Skills Acquisition Centre located along the Keffi–Abuja Road. The entire programme was fully sponsored by Dr Paul,Dr (Mrs.) Becky Enenche and the church as part of their ongoing efforts to empower individuals with practical skills and sustainable means of livelihood.
The initiative reflects the church’s commitment to transforming lives through both spiritual and socio-economic empowerment.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality ahead of the 2027 general election, saying INEC has no candidate or political party to favour.
In a post obtained from INEC’s X handle on Sunday, Amupitan stated this during a visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb.
Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, as part of the commission’s stakeholder engagement and preparations for the 2027 elections.The visit formed part of activities surrounding INEC’s planned interactive meeting with staff and readiness assessment at the zonal level.
The INEC chairman was accompanied by National Commissioners, the Acting Director-General of the Electoral Institute, his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Technical Assistant, Chief of Staff, Special Aides and other senior officials of the commission.
Amupitan described traditional institutions as important stakeholders in the electoral process because of their influence and reach within communities.
He said elections were fundamentally about the social contract between citizens and those entrusted with public office, stressing that public trust was essential to the success of democracy.
According to him, INEC has commenced preparations early because of the size and complexity of conducting elections across Nigeria.
He said the commission had moved away from last-minute preparations and was testing, auditing and strengthening its operational systems well ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan assured the Emir that INEC remained committed to neutrality, fairness and transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have no candidates, we have no political party, we have no interest other than the sovereign will of the people of Nigeria,” the INEC chairman said.
He added that the commission would continue engaging traditional institutions and other stakeholders as it intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election.
The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), Kano State Command, has deployed personnel to Garko Local Government Area to track and contain dogs suspected to be infected with rabies.
The service said the suspected rabid dog had bitten 18 people in Garko and its environs.
The NFSS State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the service, Usman Abdullahi-Umar, on Sunday in Kano.
Al’ameen said: “The command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a dog suspected to be rabid has attacked residents in Garko town.
“The dog has so far bitten 11 persons in Garko town before moving to neighbouring communities, including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai.
“It has also attacked and bitten seven additional persons in the affected communities.”
The commander further explained that they had received another report that two more dogs had been infected with rabies in the area.
Al’ameen said personnel of NFSS Garko Division, under the leadership of the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, had been deployed to the affected areas to track and contain the infected dogs.
He urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.
The commander also advised residents who might have been bitten by suspected rabid dogs to seek immediate medical attention.
Al’ameen assured residents that the NFSS would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary measures to prevent further attacks.(NAN)
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