Coalition urges calm as Finance Ministry works to clear contractor debts

From Sola Ojo, Abuja

Amid growing protests over unpaid contractor debts, the Coalition for Sustainable Fiscal Reform (CSFR) has urged calm, insisting that the Federal Ministry of Finance is actively fixing the problem and warning that agitation at this stage could derail critical reforms.

The coalition threw its weight behind the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, urging contractors to replace street protests with structured engagement as government overhauls what it described as a “broken and chaotic” payment system.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, CSFR National Coordinator, Dr. Ridwan Kadiri, said the minister inherited a deeply flawed debt framework and is now carrying out a difficult but necessary reset.

“The anger of contractors is understandable, but the direction of the protest is wrong.

“What is happening now is not delay for delay’s sake, it is a deliberate dismantling of a system that created endless arrears in the first place,” he said.

According to CSFR, the ministry’s ongoing verification exercise is designed to protect genuine indigenous contractors and permanently eliminate the influence of “ghost companies” that have historically siphoned public funds.

The coalition noted that the N152 billion already released was paid only after strict validation to ensure funds went to contractors who actually executed projects.

To him, “This is the first time we are seeing payments tied to accountability, not politics,l.

“Once payment is made, the system is reinforced so that the same debt does not return.”

CSFR strongly opposed calls for the minister’s resignation, describing them as “dangerously premature” and capable of destabilising ongoing reforms.

“Asking for resignation now is like stopping surgery halfway, and restarting the process would throw the entire system back into chaos,” the coalition warned.

The coalition disclosed that the 2026 fiscal roadmap already includes clear mechanisms for clearing outstanding contractor debts from 2024 and 2025, stressing that this could only succeed if administrative stability is maintained.

It, therefore, called on the leadership of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) to adopt what it termed “strategic patience” and embrace dialogue with the ministry.

“The street should give way to the boardroom. The political will to confront this problem finally exists, and it must not be wasted,” he added.