Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that his office awarded contracts worth N5 billion to local contractors, insisting that the debt being demanded predates his assumption of office.
A group of contractors had on Monday staged a protest at the entrance of the FCT Administration (FCTA) complex in Area 11, Abuja, demanding the payment of an alleged N5.2 billion debt said to have accumulated over the past two years.
Reacting to the demonstration, Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, said the minister had already cleared billions in outstanding obligations left behind by previous administrations.
“In December 2023, a bill of about N10 billion was presented to the minister as outstanding payment on jobs done by local contractors before he assumed office. They called it ‘shopping’ or minor procurement,” Olayinka explained.
“The same December 2023, payment of over N5 billion was approved by the minister, and this was made immediately. In January 2024, another more than N5 billion was paid, clearing the over N10 billion outstanding bills,” he added.
According to him, despite those payments, another N15 billion claim surfaced within three months, raising questions over who authorised the contracts.
“How can you claim to have carried out jobs worth over N15 billion within three months, without the approval of the minister? How can you accumulate over N15 billion debt on contracts within three months?” Olayinka queried.
He further stressed that Wike never awarded the contracts being referenced and challenged the aggrieved contractors to provide verifiable evidence.
“From N15 billion to N8 billion and now N5 billion, the question is, on whose authority were these contracts awarded? Those are the questions they have to answer first,” he said.
