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Any contractor who thinks my ministry owes him should go to court – LG Commissioner
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sadiq Mamman Lagos, on Friday dismissed claims that the ministry owes contractors over N30 billion, insisting that any aggrieved party should seek redress in court.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Friday, the Commissioner said the current administration has no contractual obligations with the contractors making the claims, describing the situation as a “pending issue” already under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Anybody who feels we are owing him should go to court,” Lagos said. “We don’t have any agreement with any contractor. Let them produce documents to show that we awarded them contracts and agreed to pay them.”
He explained that the alleged contracts were linked to arrangements made under a previous administration, stressing that the present government did not award any such contracts across the 23 local government areas.
“We are not part of whatever transaction they did with the previous administration. Yes, government is a continuum, but none of the 23 local governments under this administration awarded any contract of that nature,” he stated.
The Commissioner further clarified that the ministry did not issue any award letters to the contractors in question.
“We didn’t issue any award letter, and none of the local governments under this administration issued any. So, we don’t have any transactions with them,” he said.
Lagos referenced a company, Formal Act, which he said had an arrangement tied to previous dealings, noting that the matter is currently being handled by the EFCC.
“It’s a pending issue with the EFCC, and the person involved is already in detention. So, whatever grievances they have, they should channel it through the courts,” he added.
Reacting to reports that contractors had shut down the ministry, the commissioner denied the claim, saying security agencies were called in to maintain order.
“Nobody shut down the ministry. We called the police because we don’t want to take the law into our hands, and they were dispersed,” he said.
Lagos also described the allegations circulating on social media as “fake news”, urging caution in spreading unverified information.
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“You know how social media is; people spread fake news. Anyone with a genuine claim should go to court. That is the proper channel,” he said.
He further called on authorities to regulate social media platforms to curb misinformation.
“These things you see on social media, especially on platforms like TikTok, where people post negative content, can create insecurity and unrest. Government needs to do something about it,” he added.
The commissioner maintained that the Kaduna State Government has no liability for the alleged N30 billion debt.
“We have no liability whatsoever. Let them go to court and prove their claims. That is our position,” he said.
However, he hinted that the government had previously attempted to intervene to resolve the dispute amicably.
“We tried to intervene and find a way to assist, but when it started looking like blackmail, we stepped back. Let the court decide,” he added.
Meanwhile, the commissioner noted that the ministry serves primarily as a supervisory body and does not directly award contracts unless they are joint projects involving all local governments.
“If there are any grievances, they should go to the specific local governments that issued the contracts, if any. The ministry does not award contracts in that manner,” he explained.
The development follows a protest earlier in the week by contractors, reportedly joined by civil society groups and Comrade Daniel Ejembi of Eagle Brain, at the ministry’s headquarters.
The aggrieved contractors claimed that projects worth over N30 billion, executed across the state’s 23 local government areas since 2023, remain unpaid despite repeated promises by the government.
“We have completed projects worth over N30 billion, yet no payment has been made,” one of the contractors alleged. “We have suffered enough. Many of us took loans to execute these contracts.”
The contractors have vowed to “take the next line of action” if their demands are not met, though they did not specify their next steps.
