Negotiation is ongoing between our officials, FG, AICAN President says

By Abubakar Yunusa,Abuja

President of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), Mr Jackson Nwosu, has said that negotiation has began between the officials of the protesting contractors and the Federal Government.

The President told newsmen after a meeting by the officials of AICAN and Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, in Abuja on Wednesday .

The contractors had on Monday March 24, resumed its protest to demand for immediate payment of N150 Billion, out of the N1.15 Trillion the contractors claimed the Federal Government was owing members.

This money the contractors claimed was the balance payment of the capital project they executed in 2024 in various state of the Federation, including Abuja.

Nwosu however praised the outcome of meeting with AICAN officials and the Minister of Finance, saying it is a good one if the government will keep to its promise.

He said that the government had proposed to pay 35 per cent of the AICAN 150 Billion immediate demand, and will pay another percent in the next few weeks.

“The outcome of our meeting with the Minister was fine, but we pray that the government will keep to its promise, because sometimes when you had a discussion with government, it might want to reneged from it.

“The government is proposing to pay 35 per cent of the N150 Billion immediate demand, and will pay another in the next few weeks.

“The government has told us to inform our members to get their Batch Numbers from the various Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) even though we told them that the time frame to get this was too short.

“We have also been asked to get new batch number saying that the previous batch number, the old ones has been changed since we are in a new year.

“Those that doesn’t have batch number will have to get a new warrant, that is where we are, so let us see if there will be progress,” Nwosu stressed.