By Aderogba George
The All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) on Thursday announced the suspension of its ongoing protest following the intervention of the Senate, led by its spokesperson, Sen. Adeyemi Adaramodu.
The suspension notice, released to newsmen in Abuja, was jointly signed by the association’s President, Mr Jackson Nwosu, and Vice President, Mr Fredrick Agada.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the contractors had embarked on a peaceful protest to demand payment for capital projects executed in 2024, valued at over 3 billion dollars.
Nwosu said during the protest that the association had held several meetings with government officials, including the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, to resolve the issue.
He stated that the Federal Government had in September released a 760-billion-dollar warrant to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as part of efforts to offset the debt, but the payment was not cash-backed.
According to him, the suspension of the protest from Thursday to Tuesday, Nov. 11, is a temporary measure to allow further discussions between the Senate and the Federal Government.
He warned that if nothing was done within the period, the contractors would resume their protest on the streets of Abuja.
Nwosu added that the group would also send letters to embassies and foreign agencies in Nigeria to draw attention to the government’s handling of the matter.
“On this note, we are suspending our protest till Tuesday following our meeting with the Senate today.
“We have resolved to suspend it because we pray that the Senate’s intervention will yield results by the grace of God.
“But if after Tuesday nothing is done, we will return to the streets and begin sending letters to foreign agencies and embassies. We, however, pray that the Senate will keep to its word,” he said. (NAN)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
