The All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) has threatened to stage a protest at the upcoming national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over alleged unpaid debts owed to its members by the Federal Government.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, during the resumption of the contractors’ protest, AICAN National President, Jackson Nwosu, demanded the immediate payment of N150 billion within 48 hours. He described the demand as part of earlier commitments made by the government following protests held between December 2025 and January 2026.
Nwosu stated that only N21 billion had been paid so far, leaving over N1 trillion outstanding.
“For AICAN members, the government has only paid N21bn within this period. What remains is over N1tn, but our immediate demand is N150bn,” he said.
He warned that failure to meet the demand could disrupt the APC national convention scheduled for March 27–28, 2026, in Abuja.
“Our immediate demand is for the payment to be made within the next two days. If not, the planned APC national convention will not be successful. We will stage our protest at the venue and make our grievances known,” Nwosu added.
He noted that the association was already engaging with officials of the Ministry of Finance and expected the funds to be paid directly into members’ accounts.
Also speaking, AICAN National Secretary, Babatunde Seun, expressed frustration over what he described as repeated delays and unfulfilled promises by the Federal Government.
He attributed part of the delay to the extension of the 2024 budget implementation from December 2025 to March 2026, adding that no additional payments had been made since January.
“What AICAN has received is N21bn as part of payments finalised in December 2025. Many of our members are suffering due to these outstanding debts,” Seun said.
He further alleged that one contractor died after being unable to afford medical treatment despite being owed over N100 million.
Seun also rejected moves to channel payments through the Debt Management Office, insisting that contractors should be paid directly.
The association maintained that the total debt owed to indigenous contractors stands at about N1.15 trillion and urged the Federal Government to prioritise the immediate release of the N150 billion demanded.
