The Federal Ministry of Works has denied media reports suggesting that the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, promised that all local contractors would be paid by December 20, 2025.
In a statement issued on Friday by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, the ministry said the reports misrepresented the minister’s remarks.
It clarified that Umahi does not speak for the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, who is solely responsible for contractor payments.
The statement explained that Umahi, during an inspection of the Mararaba–Keffi Expressway—one of the NNPC Tax Credit-funded projects now under the Works Ministry’s funding oversight only said that verified certificates would be forwarded to the Finance Ministry for payment before December 20.
“The Minister of Works did not say that all local contractors will be paid by 20th December 2025.
”What he said was that, after verification by the ICPC, the Ministry, through the Ministry of Finance, will commence payment of all generated certificates before the 20th of December,” the statement noted.
The ministry also urged contractors not to abandon project sites while the Federal Government continued efforts to settle verified inherited debts.
It emphasised that it has no authority to set deadlines for payments or speak on behalf of the Finance Minister, and called on media organisations to correct any misinformation regarding the minister’s comments.
