The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement has called on the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamsudeen Ogunjimi, to ensure prompt payments to contractors, following repeated complaints of delays spanning several years.
The directive came from Rep. Unyime Idem (PDP-Akwa Ibom), Chairman of the Committee, during a meeting on Friday in Abuja.
Hon. Idem expressed concern over the slow pace of disbursements, noting that the committee had received multiple petitions from contractors whose payments for completed projects have been pending for over two years.
“The issue of non-payments of contractors for the past two to three years now is worrisome; as a committee in charge of public procurement, we receive petitions and sometimes protesters on this,” Idem said.
He further said, “We use wisdom to manage them; if not, maybe by now, they would have taken drastic actions.
”The House asked us to also find out why payments are delayed and, in some cases, not made at all over the past two years, ” he added.
The committee requested that the Accountant-General provide documented explanations within seven days regarding alleged irregularities in contract awards in government agencies under the 2023–2025 budgets.
Responding, Ogunjimi acknowledged issues in contract processing, citing cases where contracts were awarded without allocated funds, creating legal and financial gaps.
He emphasised that some responsible directors had since been posted out of Abuja.
“Efforts are ongoing to ensure all contractors who have delivered jobs are paid.
“Within one week, a formal response addressing all concerns raised from the 2023 to 2025 budgets will be submitted to the committee, ” he said.
Ogunjimi, who was appointed in March 2025, stressed the government’s commitment to upholding transparency and ensuring that contractors are paid for services rendered.
The committee’s intervention highlights ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s public procurement system and the critical need for timely financial management to support project execution and maintain contractor confidence.
