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Indigenous Contractors Call on President Tinubu to Pay Owed N500 billion Contract Money to Stop their Untimely Death

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Indigenous Contractors Call on President Tinubu to Pay Owed N500 billion Contract Money to Stop their Untimely Death

By: Michael Mike

Indigenous contractors have cried to federal government to immediately pay them for contracts they have fully agreed executed in order to stem the tide of death of their counterparts and severe hardship all of them of continued to bear due to continued non-payment of what is due to them.

The group who thronged the federal ministry of finance for the second day running to protest non-payment of over N500 billion to indigenous contractors for contracts already completed and since commission, lamenting severe hardship of contractors and called on the President to intervene immediately.

Speaking during the protest in Abuja, representatives of the Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria said the government’s failure to release payments for fully executed 2024 federal projects has pushed many contractors into financial distress, loss of property, illness and in some cases death.

Haruna Gabari, President of the Nigerian Indigenous Contractors Association, highlighted the non-payment of contractors for 2024 projects, expressing frustration over the federal government taking credit for contracts executed by contractors without providing the approved payments.

He said: “We are protesting the contract we executed on behalf of the Nigerian federal government, a contract commissioned and executed by the federal government, particularly by members of the National Assembly, who have taken credit for it. But so far, the federal government has not paid us.”

Gabari called for presidential intervention to ensure payment and accountability. He urged the President to direct the Minister of Finance and the Coordinator of the Ministry of Economy to release the outstanding funds.

“So what we are asking is that the president intervene and demand that the Minister of Finance and the Coordinator of the Ministry of Economy pay us our money,” he noted.

He criticized the Minister of Finance for alleged incompetence and its impact on the economy. He argued that unpaid contractors slow economic activity and blamed the minister for stagnation.

“He has shown himself to be irresponsible in his duties and incapable of handling such an important position. We are the leaders of the economy. When we pay the contractors, the economy moves. But as you can see, the economy is stagnant. It’s stagnant, nothing is moving,” he said.

Gabari highlighted the human cost of the delay in payments. He spoke of contractors who are sick, hospitalized, or have lost property due to the unpaid contracts, condemning the perceived indifference of the Ministry of Finance.

“Some of our members are dying. Some are in the hospital. Some have lost their property. In response to our disaster, the minister told us that people are dying every day. If contractors are dying, what’s so special about that? Because he’s asking us to die, and we’re asking ourselves to die too,” he stated.

He further warned of escalating consequences if payments are not made promptly. He implied that continued inaction could lead to further economic and social distress, pressing the urgency for immediate government response.

“Before the end of December, by His grace, he will be normal. He will join some of our members who have died,” he said, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation and the human toll of delayed payments.

Public Relations Officer of the Association, Rotimi Raheem, emphasized the ongoing delay in payment for 2024 contracts. He highlighted that despite repeated protests and official meetings, the contractors have yet to receive their dues.

“We were here, we protested, this is our third time of protesting. We protested about a month ago in National Assembly, in which the leadership of National Assembly met with the President and told the Minister of Finance, instructed the Minister of Finance to pay us. We have submitted our list for about three weeks ago. Up till now our payment has not been made,” he said.

He pointed out that the contractors have been persistent in their demonstrations to secure payment. Raheem noted that the protesters have been camping overnight and engaging directly with officials to press for immediate action.

“We started this protest yesterday and we slept here all through the night. A permanent secretary came out yesterday that our payment will be made before the month end. We told him we are not for that,” he said.

Raheem stressed the urgency for a prompt resolution within 48 hours, explaining that leadership is trying to negotiate a pathway to ensure the funds are released to contractors without further delay.

“We have called our leadership for negotiation this money, that we should give them way in, so that in the next 48 hours our money will be paid. But up till now, we are trying to convince our members to give them the way so that they can enter,” he said.

He further highlighted the accountability of the Finance Ministry in the delay,stressing that the failure to release funds reflects poorly on the ministry and undermines the economic contributions of contractors.

“The leadership of National Assembly met with the President and told the Minister of Finance, instructed the Minister of Finance to pay us. We have submitted our list for about three weeks ago. Up till now our payment has not been made,” he said.

Indigenous Contractors Call on President Tinubu to Pay Owed N500 billion Contract Money to Stop their Untimely Death

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

By Aisha Gambo

The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) has commended the Kaduna State Executive Council for approving the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (SPGE 2026–2030).

The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kaduna.

She said the approval marked a transition from donor-supported, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.

According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to succeed in education, employment and life, while the Gender in Education Policy providzbves a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.

“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” she said.

Mohammed said CGE contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.

She said the policies built on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations showed had helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.

According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.

She added that institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education became a permanent component of the state’s education system.

Mohammed said the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.

She added that they would also institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular programme, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.

The executive director commended Gov. Uba Sani for providing the leadership that made the policy approval possible.

She also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.

Mohammed reaffirmed CGE’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government with technical assistance during the implementation phase, including teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.

She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State had the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive.

Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

By: Zagazola Makama

Six fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were reportedly killed and seven others seriously wounded during a failed attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Logomani in Borno State, credible intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told Zagazola Makama that the terrorists launched the attack on the military position in the early hours of July 7 but suffered significant casualties after troops mounted a fierce resistance.

According to the intelligence assessment, the attackers had assembled at Garal before advancing on the military base.

Following the failed assault, surviving insurgents were reportedly seen regrouping at Chukun Gudu, where they buried six of their fighters killed during the encounter.

Among those reportedly buried was a senior fighter identified as Munzir, also known as Ba Alayi, who was said to be an indigene of Wulgo.

The development comes as troops of Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and disrupting insurgents’ logistics and mobility across the Lake Chad region.

Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

By: Zagazola Makama

A cholera outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist stronghold in Borno State, intelligence sources have disclosed.

The sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the outbreak had spread through the group’s enclaves, highlighting deteriorating sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the insurgents’ camps.

According to the intelligence, two additional ISWAP fighters infected with the disease were allegedly executed by fellow terrorists after attempts to manage their condition at Kimba village proved unsuccessful.

The sources said the development pointed to the worsening health conditions within the terrorist hideouts, where sustained military pressure has disrupted logistics, including access to medicines and treatment facilities.

The sources added that commanders had also been urged to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for terrorist camps in order to further degrade ISWAP’s treatment capability and operational resilience.

The reported outbreak comes amid sustained offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI, who continue to target terrorist enclaves and logistics networks across the Lake Chad region in a bid to degrade the insurgents’ fighting capacity.

Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle

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