FCT indigenous contractors reject ‘erroneous’ N4trn debt claim

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Association of Indigenous Contractors of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has vehemently denied media reports claiming it is owed N4 trillion by the FCT Administration, insisting the true figure is just over N5.2 billion for duly executed projects.

In a press statement signed by its president, Adebola Benson Ehuwa, the association expressed shock over a story published on the X handle of a prominent national newspaper on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, accompanied by a video. “The story, bar the video, was obviously lifted from a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report,” the statement noted, adding that the NAN coverage stemmed from a protest by federal contractors at the Federal Secretariat on Monday, 19 January 2026.

Ehuwa, who represented the association at the protest in solidarity with colleagues, described the N4 trillion figure as a gross misrepresentation. “It came as a shock to the association that sections of the media reported, very erroneously, that the association is being owed about N4 trillion by FCTA led by Honourable Minister of FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike,” the statement read. “For the avoidance of doubt and for clarity’s sake, the association hereby reiterates that what is being owed by FCTA is over N5.2 billion and not N4 trillion!”

The association explained that the N5.2 billion debt covers “duly awarded, legally procured, properly executed, FCTA-monitored, and confirmed sundry public utility jobs, largely in the life of the current FCT minister’s administration.” These contracts, it said, were awarded by the minister’s own political office appointees, “mostly Heads of Secretariats, Agencies, and Departments (SADs) of FCTA.”

Members, the statement added, have endured over two years of delays, resorting to “peaceful public protests,” facing “police teargas shots during the protests,” and interfacing with the National Assembly, prominent Nigerians, and various groups—yet “no payment has been made.”

While reaffirming its appreciation for media partnerships, the association urged corrections. It stressed that it “values its partnership with the Nigerian press and does not seek to harm it in any way,” but insisted on correcting the “error in contract amount” to reflect the over N5.2 billion actually owed.