By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been asked to sack the Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Zack Adedeji and Minister of Finance Wale Edu over unpaid money to local contractors, alleged mismanagement of revenue, illegal expenditure of unbudgeted funds and operations of illegal accounts among others.
A member of the House of the House of Representatives, Hon.Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, who stormed the Ministry of Finance in solidarity with the aggrieved contractors, who have occupied the ministry since on Tuesday, called on President Tinubu to pay the contractors their money as quick way to renew hope.
The contractors, under the aegis of “All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigerian,” have in their banner appealed to the National Assembly not to fold their arms and watch the Nigerian contractors suffer injustice over unpaid 2024 capital projects.
Addressing Journalists at the venue, Hon. Ugochinyere, who sat with the contractors at the Ministry of Finance, where the protest is ongoing, noted that the contractors have already executed their jobs, but waiting for their payment.
According to the federal lawmaker, “This job is executed in line with the procurement act, and the government is already enjoying the benefit of those jobs. Like in my constituency, people are already enjoying the street light. It’s part of my campaign.
“The water borehole is already running in my constituency. The erosion control point is already running in my constituency. So the government is already enjoying it.
“Their signboard is there. And then you can’t pay the contractor. And I must say this, and I believe may be the President will hear me.
“There’s no other way to renew hope than to pay contractors, local contractors, who will now pay their suppliers. And those suppliers will go to market and buy something. There’s no other way.
“There’s no other way to renew hope. And I will say this with all due respect, that the Finance Minister and the FIRS man are not doing Mr. President any good, because people are so angry.
“Families cannot fulfill their obligations. Banks cannot get their money back. Some of you took a loan from banks. And these banks do not want to hear that you are here protesting, that I didn’t do it for you. Some took money from friends. Some used their car to borrow money.
“The contractor working in my constituency took money from somebody, and the person is also on his neck. So, it’s so painful that in a government where we say we want to renew hope, we cannot pay thousands of contractors.
‘And if the local contractors cannot be paid, I don’t think there’s any reason why the finance minister should be in office.
“If he cannot pay local contractors, it’s not a favour. It’s a call to national duty. And then we are still paying for trillions of Naira projects that are not of great importance to the day-to-day life of Nigerians.
“With all due respect to those intergenerational projects that are big, they are not as important as the local bridge you have put, as the solar lights you have put, as the farm implements you have supplied. So, if the president wants to renew hope, this is the time to pay this money. And we have the money to pay.
“And what do I mean by that? The FIRS man said, revenue has increased, right? Exceeded some of our expectations, since August. And then also, we have approved borrowing plans to augment. ‘So, now, I can tell you where the money should be panned. And where do we go for the money? If you say you don’t have money to pay now, let us go to the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.
“There, we can find money to pay. Even though that agency is unknown to law. That account is also known to law. And he misled the president by not explaining that there is legal framework that we need to go through.
“They took money from national revenue, money not appropriated, and put in that Infrastructure Development Fund. Running into trillions. And then they award contracts that are 5 trillion, 10 trillion, 100 billion. And they are signing it off without the parliament being aware.
“This is a heinous crime. And then now, you talk about telling contractors that EFCC should come and check their jobs. These jobs are already in my constituency. It’s in different constituencies all over Nigeria.
“If EFCC is not idle, what they would do now is to call you people and say, Contractor, come. Contractor that went through process and procurement procedure, agency monitor them. Jobs have been executed. Jobs uploaded as government required. You didn’t say you want to check them.
“I can tell that that’s nonsense. It’s buying up time. You don’t want to pay them. Because if you say you want EFCC to come and be checking these jobs, then I say, if there is any job that is more important than EFCC to check, It’s the one that Zack Adedeji and his Infrastructure Development Fund is doing.
“Because those ones are 100 billion, 500 billion, 1 trillion, 10 trillion, 11 trillion. You leave 11 trillion, 20 trillion, 50 trillion, then you not want to be running around to be checking solar light of 100,000, 500,000, 13 million. You are just trying to suffer people.
“So, I’m pleading with the President. I’m calling on the President, If you cannot pay local contractors, then there is something wrong with the work of the Finance Minister and FIRS man. You sack them.
“I stand here not just because I’m a federal lawmaker. For a Nigerian that has brothers who are also contractors, that have friends who are also contractors, I feel this pain.
“These contractors must be paid immediately. These payments must be done immediately and unconditionally. Government changed all the procedures of payment, all in the name of making the process efficient. Are we not saying that government was trying to deceive the people? No.
“I’m begging that the President put eye into what is happening in revenue generation, it’s very important. Put eye into what is happening in the Ministry of Finance.
‘”And again, is it time for him to ask for the account balance sheet of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund. You need to see the payment that they are making and compare how important they are to the lives of Nigerians.
“To this non-payment of local contractors, you can’t have an FIRS man who is running from pillar to post. Leaving his core job of tax collecting to get involved in capital projects and funding and so on, that are not appropriated by Parliament.
“If Nigerians see the volume, the quantum of payment that have been made, even Mr. President himself will be shocked, at the prices for those jobs.
“You are asking EFCC to come and check ten million Naira jobs, but not asking how a kilometre of road is being done with over one billion or two billion. That’s insult.
“So I employ you that this seat I am sitting here is constitutional, is in line with the law. If it means shutting the entire road from there then its the right thing to do. Because Nigerians are crying. So please, Mr. President,
Pay the local contractors. I’m begging you as a lawmaker. I’m begging you as a Nigerian.
“And I’m begging you as somebody who loves you. You cannot renew hope, If these local contractors, who are your people are not paid. They committed no offence. They have done the job. The job is standing.
“Please, Mr. President pay the local contractors. And if they are not paid, it means that your finance minister and FIRS people have gone wrong. They don’t know their job. You sack them and bring the people that can do the job.
“The economy is not moving well because local contractors are not being paid. Remove the FIRS man, remove the minister of finance. Audit all the activities, every kobo that have come in and where the money is going, especially those ones that were not appropriated by parliament. We could not have spent over 15 trillion of hard-earned resources that were not budgeted by parliament.
“I am standing under the sun in solidarity to tell you that I am with you. And I will speak to most of my colleagues. This is the right thing to do, to stand with you people because you are Nigerians. You have done nothing wrong. Your payment must be done”, he stated
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