FCT Contractors Protest Non Payment Of Duly Completed Contract Amidst Hardship

The Association of Indigenous Contractors of FCT has staged a peaceful protest to demand for the payment of duly procured, executed, verified, certified and completed contract.

In an interview with newsmen, the coordinator of the Association of Indigenous Contractors, Chuka Muojindu begged the minister of FCT, to consider the members who have helped to contribute to infrastructure and transformed FCT’s rural communities.

According to him, ‘’The association has been government’s dependable partner down the years and a reliable ally in developing FCT to its present acclaimed world-class level.’’

The coordinator noted that the FCT Administration (FCTA)’s Secretariats, Departments anal Agencies (SDAs) handed them the sundry contracts like desilting of drainages, sewage excavations, procurements of consumables, furniture for offices, stationaries, drugs for hospitals, books for schools, drilling of boreholes in line with extant regulations and procedures, which were duly procured, executed, verified, certified as completed.

”Sometime in July 2024, one of us, Mr. Benson Ehuwa, his family on the brink of breaking apart and kids chased away from school, sent a very passionate WhatsApp message to the Minister, pleading in tear-dripping words that he be paid his money.”

”In reply, the  Minister sent policemen to fetch him to his office. upon arriving in the Minister’s office be was severely tongue-lashed by the Minister, who subsequently ordered the cops to verify if he actually executed any contracts, then detain and prosecute him.” he lamented.

Chuka Muojindu explained that the  police accompanied him to the contract spots, examined the projects carefully, scrutinized his contract documents and returned a verdict that he actually did the job.

”But in spite of the confirmation by the police that his case was genuine, he was detained and subsequently charged to court on the grounds that he was harassing the Minister.”

According to him, ” What is happening in our homes is better imagined than told as we speak with you now, over 5 of our members have kicked the bucket due to depression, high blood pressure, associated ailments arising from their inability to pay their bills.”

Another female member of the Association, Caroline Ojeaga said on several occasions, the group had peacefully reached out to those within the Minister’s inner circle over our non-payment, they confirmed what the other ranking officials had told us that the  Minister stopped the payment. and no reason was given by the  Minister.

”Consequently, we explored other avenues such as reaching him through powerful outsiders, to humbly request that we be paid. Needless disclosing names here, but they returned same outcome that the Minister stopped our payments and did not give a date when it will paid.”

Caroline noted that any more no longer have homes as banks have seized their properties erected with hard-earned money.

”The banks moved in when the loans and interest accruing could not be redeemed, the marriages of many members, including old marriages, are going through severe attack on account of their inability to even maintain themselves not to speak of their families,” she lamented.