Contractors Challenge FG's Claim of N152bn Payments

The All-Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) has contested the assertion made by the Ministry of Finance claiming that N152 billion has been distributed to its members. The association maintains that only N21 billion has been received thus far.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Babatunde Seun O., the National Secretary of AICAN, clarified that the N21 billion represents the most recent amount disbursed to its members, which was concluded on December 31, 2025.

Dismissing the statement made by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, he noted that 938 companies had submitted claims totaling around N53 billion. He revealed that from December 2025 to present, AICAN members have only received a total of N61 billion, which covers payments to 611 companies.

AICAN expressed its desire to correct misleading information circulated by Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite and a blogger named Dee-One, who allegedly claimed to have been instructed to disseminate such inaccuracies.

The association lamented that attempts are being made to undermine public expectations and impede the submission of payment lists for 2024, despite earlier agreements and contrary to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's directive for all AICAN members to be compensated.

They emphasized, "The assertion that the Honourable Minister has disbursed N152 billion to AICAN members is utterly false and deceptive. Even if, hypothetically, that amount had been paid—which it has not—it would represent a mere fraction of the over N4 trillion owed by the Federal Government to contractors across the nation."

AICAN reiterated, "The only recent payment to AICAN members amounted to N21 billion, finalized on December 31, 2025, and paid on January 21, 2026. There has been no additional payment approaching the alleged N152 billion as claimed. We strongly disapprove of the practice of engaging bloggers to promote false information devoid of factual accuracy. The claims made by Dee- One on January 23, 2026, do not accurately represent AICAN's financial records."