Disgruntled contractors owed over N17bn by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are mobilising to stop the FMARD’s minister from gaining entry into his office again on Friday (today).

About 50 members of the Concerned Unpaid 2018 Contractors of the FMARD had picketed the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, blocking the major entrance of the agric minister’s office.

The contractors lamented in Abuja on Thursday that the protest would continue on Friday, as they were paid no attention on Wednesday at the ministry.

The Calls to the spokesperson of the agric ministry, Theodore Ogaziechi, rang out. Also, he had yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing the story. Contractors are requesting the payment of debts owed them by the ministry for contracts that were completed since 2018.

Speaking as a representative for the contractors, their coordinator, Mr Daniel Mozie, said, “Nobody arrested us and none of them have spoken to us.

“We know that they may want to arrest us and claim that we are breaking the social distancing rule, but that will not deter us from asking for our money.

“Some of us have slated tomorrow (Friday) for another protest. We are still around and agitating for our payments. Since 2018, they have held our money, over N17bn, and refused to pay us.”

He continued, “You’ll be shocked to know that some contractors are dead; many others have sold or mortgaged their houses and their creditors are on their neck. Many can’t pay house rents and school fees for their kids or access medication.”

Mozie affirmed the contracts had been funded 100 per cent, as he noted that the finance minister had asserted that the contracts were 99.44 percent funded.

He said, “So why will they owe us? They told us that by 2019 they will pay. The appropriation for 2019 was funded and paid and they advertised for 2020 but yet they owe contractors for 2018.”

On what could be the possible reason for the delay, the coordinator said the ministry’s permanent secretary had deliberately decided not to pay due to concerns between him and the former permanent secretary.

Mozie said, “Their (FMARD) tradition is that they have a two-year procurement process. If you execute your job in 2017 and they were not able to pay, by the first quarter of 2018 they would clear the backlog and continue. That has always been their practice.

“But this permanent secretary came in and refused to pay us. We understand that he had some battle with the former permanent secretary; should that affect us?”

He added, “The ministry entered into agreement with us, we went and did our jobs, generated certificates 100 per cent; so why the delay? That you are against the award of the contract by the former permanent secretary, is it our business?”

He claimed that it is compulsory for the ministry to execute the agreements that it entered with the contractors.

Continue reading at... https://www.sme360.ng/2020/05/22/contractors-continue-demonstration-over-more-than-n17bn-owed-by-ministry-of-agric/