The House of Representatives has halted plenary for one week in response to a large protest by local contractors who barred the entrance to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja over alleged nonpayment for projects completed since 2024.
According to reports, the protest, which caused heavy gridlock and disrupted legislative activities, prompted lawmakers to adjourn all sittings until next Tuesday to allow House leadership to engage the executive branch of government and ensure that contractors received their long-overdue payments.
The resolution came after Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) submitted a motion of urgent national importance, expressing worry about the contractors’ “dire plight.”
“You recall that our local contractors, our brothers and sisters, besieged the National Assembly today, protesting that they have not been paid for jobs completed under the 2024 budget,” Chinda told the chamber.
“This non-payment has caused untold hardship to our people, and it is our duty as a Parliament to take a stand.”
Chinda stated that the contractors’ protest was motivated by the Federal Government’s refusal to carry out President Bola Tinubu’s earlier directions to the Ministers of Finance and Budget to release payments for finished projects.
Reps give a 7-day ultimatum to finance and budget ministries
The House agreed to give the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and the Federation’s Accountant-General seven days to settle all outstanding payments owed to the protesting contractors and fully implement the 2025 budget.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu presided over the plenary and put the resolution to a voice vote, which was unanimously adopted by lawmakers from all parties.
Shortly after the resolution, Hon. Kabiru Ahmadu Mai-Palace (APC, Zamfara) filed a follow-up motion urging the House to delay plenary for one week till the executive responds to the deadline.
“Mr Speaker, the urgency and sensitivity of this matter demand that we suspend our sittings for one week so that the leadership can engage the executive to find a lasting solution,” Mai-Palace added.
Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, backed the move, saying it was realistic given that demonstrators had obstructed access to the National Assembly.
“Members arrived late today due to roadblocks caused by demonstrators. “It is prudent to take a step back and allow the executive to act,” Waive explained.
Deputy Speaker Kalu said that all plenary sessions would be halted until next Tuesday, pending the conclusion of negotiations between the House leadership and the executive branch.
The House also instructed its leadership to ensure strict adherence to the resolution and to report back within one week for “further drastic legislative action” if the administration fails to achieve the deadline.
The protest, which began early Tuesday, saw scores of indigenous contractors holding placards and screaming solidarity songs at the National Assembly Complex gate.
They claimed that the government owed billions of naira for projects finished in the fiscal year 2024.
As MPs tried to obtain admission into the premises before deciding to postpone proceedings, security personnel, including police and civil defense, were deployed to keep the mob under control.
