The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement, on Friday, urged the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Shamsudeen Ogunjimi, to ensure the quick settlement of contractors executing various projects for the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

The Chairman of the committee and member representing Ukanafun/Oruk/Anam Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State, Unyime Idem, gave the charge at a meeting in Abuja with the Accountant General of the Federation.

Recall that in September 2025, contractors owed by the government staged a peaceful protest in Abuja, the nation’s capital, drawing public attention to their plight.

The development led to the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who appointed the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, to meet with the contractors and assured them of the government’s commitment to the contractual obligations.

Recall also that in June 2025, Bauchi lawmaker, Senator Abdul Ningi, at a plenary session, expressed worry over the non-payment of Federal Government contractors since 2024 and called for an immediate probe.

By way of intervention, the Office of the AGF pledged its commitment to begin payment to the contractors.

Speaking on Friday, Idem said the committee received petitions on cases of delayed and non-payments for jobs delivered over the past two years.

He said, “There is the issue of non-payment of contractors’ funds for the past two to three years now. On a daily basis, as a committee in charge of public procurement, we receive petitions.

“We use wisdom to manage them. If not, they would have burnt offices, but it took the effort of the committee and the leadership of the House to manage the anger and the protest on the side of the contractors.

“So, the House asked us to also find out reasons for the delay and in some cases, non-payments for the past two years.”

The committee chair urged the Accountant General of the Federation to, within seven days, “Provide documents to explain alleged infractions in contract award processes in the agency’s budget between 2023 and 2025.”

Responding, Ogunjimi alleged misconduct in the processing of the award of contracts in some government agencies.

He noted that some contracts were awarded without the necessary funding to back them up, which had created gaps in the system.

Ogunjimi, however, assured all that the process for the payment of all contractors had commenced.

The Accountant General, who was appointed in March 2025, informed the committee that some of the directors in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, when the alleged infractions took place, had been posted out of the Federal Capital Territory.

He assured all that within a week, a proper and official response to all issues raised in the 2023-2025 budget cycles concerning contract awards would be transmitted to the committee. (The PUNCH)