By EricJames Ochigbo

The House of Representatives has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun and the Minister of Budget, Mr Atiku Bagudu to ensure payment to local contractors for jobs executed under the 2024 and 2025 Appropriations.

The resolution followed a motion to Matters of Urgent Public Importance by the Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers) at plenary on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the local contractors, thronged the entrance of the National Assembly Complex, making access difficult insisting to continue the protest through-out the week.

Moving the motion, Chinda said that the house acknowledged the plights of local contractors who had protested severally in the past and were protesting at the gate.

He recalled that the ministers and the Accountant General of the Federation were invited to a high-level committee meeting led by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu and they made promises and undertakings to ensure that local contractors were paid.

Chinda said that President Bola Tinubu had instructed the ministers to immediately effect payment to local contractors and execution of the budgets.

According to the lawmaker, the implementation of the promises and undertakings is still very abysmal.

“The said instruction was not implemented several weeks thereafter; the non-payment of local contractors had resulted to severe hardship on both the local contractors and indeed the Nigerian populace and that has brought tension and increased poverty in our country.

“Consequently, the house is urged to resolve that the Minister of Finance, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Accountant General of the country, be given seven days to make payments to all outstanding bills to local contractors for 2024 and implement the 2025 budget the house,” he said.

The house mandated the leadership of the house to ensure implementation and strict compliance with the resolution and report back within one week for further drastic legislative action.

In a related development, Rep. Kabiru Mai-Palace (PDP-Zamfara) moved a motion that the house adjourned plenary for one week to enable the leadership interface with the Executive to ensure swift payment.

Seconding the motion, Rep. Francis Waive (APC-Delta), said that the adjournment was also necessary as the protesters insisted to block the National Assembly gate throughout the week.

In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu moved for the adoption of votes and proceedings and adjourned plenary to Tuesday November 11. (NAN)