Contractors are becoming increasingly hesitant to undertake National Assembly constituency projects due to accumulating government debts, according to Federal Capital Territory lawmaker Chinedu Obika.
Speaking on the broadcast platform KAA Truths, the representative for the AMAC/Bwari constituency warned that outstanding payments dating back to 2024 have severely damaged contractor confidence. He noted that although funds were allocated in consecutive budgets, actual disbursement has been non-existent.
“The president has released — through the budget — one billion twice for us. Budgeted and approved by the Assembly but not implemented — zero implementation. People are still being owed on 2024 contracts, 2025 contracts.”
This financial bottleneck has created widespread reluctance among prospective bidders, as settlement of accounts has become unpredictable.
“If you bring a constituency project now, people are running away from the contracts because payment is selective, only a few are paid,” Obika observed.
The failure to execute approved budget allocations represents one of the most concerning shortcomings of the present administration, the lawmaker asserted. He highlighted a compounding backlog of unpaid obligations stretching from 2023 through supplementary budgets to the current financial year.
This failure to settle debts marks a troubling departure from standard practice.
“This is the first time constituency projects are being owed, government owes the people who carry out constituency projects; it isn’t done,” he stated.
Furthermore, Obika suggested that these deliberate delays may serve a political motive, effectively gagging legislators who fear jeopardising developments in their districts.
“That can turn to an instrument of shutting some of us up, because if you know there are jobs in your constituency that haven’t been paid for and contractors are unwilling to do such jobs, in one way or the other, somebody is essentially shutting you up so that you don’t talk too much,” he added.
The ongoing funding deficit continues to hinder lawmakers from delivering essential community developments, even as public scrutiny over parliamentary spending remains intense.