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

Envoy: Cinema, Now Tool of Growing Chino-Nigerian Relationship

By: Michael Mike

The China Cultural Centre, Counsellor Yang Jianxing has explained that cinema is now emerging as the latest tool in building bilateral, stating that film and artistic collaboration would continued to be employed to boost Chino-Nigerian relations.

He made the declaration on Tuesday evening at the Chinese Embassy’s masterclass and special screening of the acclaimed documentary, ‘Rooting’ at the Zuma International Film Festival in Abuja.

Yang said the series of events is not only a cinematic feast, but also a dialogue between civilisations and a testament to friendship.

The counselor, who represented the Chinese Ambassador in Nigeria, Yu Dunhai described the featured documentary Rooting, filmed over four years in Yunnan Province, as “a condensed visual chronicle of China’s poverty alleviation efforts.”

He said the film follows a rural villager who escapes poverty with the help of targeted government policies and has earned multiple awards at international film festivals.

Yang said the film’s message mirrors the hopes of many Nigerians. “The film’s theme resonates deeply with the Nigerian people’s aspirations for national development and a better life, and we believe the authentic footage and heartfelt language will strongly resonate with audiences.”

While speaking further, he extended appreciation to festival organisers and key Nigerian film figures.

He said: “On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Zuma International Film Festival Organising Committee for their meticulous preparations and warm invitation.”

He also praised the Chinese filmmakers behind Rooting for travelling to Nigeria for the screening. “I extend my highest respect to Director Chai Hongfang and Director of Editing Zhou Xinxia, who have travelled all the way from China, and express my heartfelt thanks to China Harbour Engineering Company (Nigeria) Ltd. for their tremendous support,” he added.

Highlighting the cultural dynamism of both Nigeria and China, he observed that “China and Nigeria are world-renowned film-producing countries,” adding that Nollywood’s output of 2,500 films annually makes it the world’s second-largest film industry.

He described the Zuma Film Festival as “an important window for exchange and mutual learning between different civilisations.”

Jianxing also spotlighted China’s own cinematic growth. “In 2024, the number of screens in China exceeded 90,000, and the total box office reached 6 billion US dollars,” he said, noting the country’s evolution from black-and-white productions to a global film powerhouse.

He underscored the cultural weight of documentary filmmaking, despite limited commercial returns. “We should pay our highest respects to Director Chai Hongfang, Director of Editing Zhou Xinxia and their colleagues for their dedication and contributions to social progress,” he said.

Yang however announced that another Chinese documentary, SHENZHOU13, filmed by astronauts aboard the Shenzhou Space Station, would also be screened at the festival. “We believe this screening of Chinese films will be another beautiful chapter in the history of cultural exchange between our two countries,” he stated.

Yang while linking the event to broader policy, explained that the outcomes of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasised deeper global cultural exchanges. He reminded the audience that 2026 is designated the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, adding: “We look forward to deeper exchanges and cooperation between China and Nigeria in the film field, playing a bridging role in enhancing the friendship between the two peoples.”

Envoy: Cinema, Now Tool of Growing Chino-Nigerian Relationship

Envoy Says Efforts Ongoing to Lift Nigeria Trade Surplus of $10 billion with Europe Higher

By: Michael Mike

The Europe Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot has stated that efforts are on to further lift Nigeria’s trade balance of $10 billion surplus as known barriers are in line to be removed.

Mignot said that the expected EU -Nigeria ministers summit is aimed at addressing the trade barriers and other issues.

He said though no date has been fixed for the scheduled summit, he revealed that everyone is looking towards the first quarter of 2026.

He noted that the summit is part of the programmes arranged for 2026.

EU-Nigeria Trade in none oil is in the region of $10 billion in favour of Nigeria.

The ambassador made the revelation during a media chat with the media alongside ambassadors from Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Germany, Finland, France and Portugal.

He said some of the 2026 perspectives: “Hold our EU-Nigeria Ministerial Meeting to advance our relationship across the board”.

He also noted that the EU will “continue the roll-out of the Global Gateway, for example with a planned EU+EBRD support to the BRIDGE project to roll out 90,000 km of optic fibre, but also in renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture.”

He also noted that the EU in the coming year will enhance its support to Nigeria in the area of Peace, Security and Defence, adding that “ with a specific Dialogue to be held early 2026 which might unlock new funding under the European Peace Facility.”

Other things on the table between EU and Nigeria in 2026 according to the envoy include “Negotiate a Science, technology and innovation agreement (the EUMS have approved the negotiation mandate)

“Advance towards a comprehensive partnership on migration and mobility with new funding on the EU side and hopefully the signature of a readmission agreement.

“Organise a business forum to foster trade and investment, in articulation with our Global Gateway strategy.”

The envoy also described as second to none the EU-Nigeria partnership, saying “It is a partnership that delivers for Nigeria and its people and which is acknowledged by our Nigerian interlocutors.

“We proudly are Nigeria’s first trading partner and first market for non-oil and gas exports and Nigeria has a 10 bn USD trade surplus with the EU.”

He also noted that one third of Nigeria’s Foreign Direct Investments stock has come from the EU. “This is not always reflected in statistics because they sometimes take into consideration only our MS individually.

“Now, the EU has a common policy in trade and investment, this is an EU competence and so it’s misleading not to mention the EU a whole, apart from individual performance of MS, in these figures.”

He explained that the first EU-Nigeria Trade and Investment dialogue was held because of the existing barriers and an untapped potential that needed to be exploit.

“Both parties decided to set up dedicated working groups to address this,” he further added.

Mignot stressed that the EU-Nigeria partnership has been based on many assessments and exchange with all kinds of stakeholders and many field visits.

The envoy noted that his visit to 17 states across the six geo-political obe has afforded him first hand experince.

He stressed: “Nigeria is a country facing serious, complex and interlinked challenges but at the same time, it is a country with great potential and some very positive trends.

“As far as challenges are concerned, and to name just a few, the spotlight has been very much on insecurity lately and for good reasons but there are others like poverty and social inequalities.”

He noted EU concern on the need to urgently tackle with humanitarian and life-saving assistance the malnutrition crisis affecting particularly hundreds of thousands of children in NW and NE. “But we also see success and promising development on the macroeconomic front, in the digital sector to mention just one example, and with an incredible entrepreneurial spirit all over Nigeria.

“The FG and many SG we have met are very much trying to encourage this and build upon this entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate growth and sustainable development for all,” he said.

He listed programmes careisd out by the EU to include: “OMI-EKO project launch: a 410M€ project with EU and EIB + France funding (360M€) to create an electric public waterways transportation network in Lagos

“Health investment forum at the end of October (see leaflet) with 41M€ of new projects plus funding and derisking funding schemes for health investments under HDX accelerator

“We launched recently the Nigeria cluster of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for culture, a 30M€ project for Sub-Saharan Africa with a strong West African and Nigerian component. Other cultural projects are also coming to reinforce our action in this sector.”

Besides, the envoy said that the EU “is also actively supporting Nigeria’s fight against insecurity and funding peace-building initiatives across the country. Protecting all populations and in particular minorities and IDPs, is particularly essential. This is what he have done in particular after the Yelwata killing in Benue State in June. In the North, we have launched a Northern package, of some 300M€ of Team Europe funding.

“The EU stands with the populations affected by a humanitarian crisis, particularly children and women in the Northwest and Northeast. While the EU may not fill the vacuum left by those who have withdrawn, Nigeria can count on us as its reliable partners for all times. This year alone, we have committed nearly €50m in humanitarian assistance to address the problem of malnutrition. “

He noted that the EU interest in all this is clear and that is “to help Nigeria (like other West African countries) thrive as a stable, democratic and prosperous neighbour and key partner of Europe. Of course, we also have an economic interest, our companies come to do business and make profit. We are relying now on a strong EUROCHAM which has grown over the year to reach 75 members.”

Envoy Says Efforts Ongoing to Lift Nigeria Trade Surplus of $10 billion with Europe Higher