About 500 lawyers on Thursday staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, demanding the immediate settlement of outstanding payments owed to indigenous contractors and calling for the resignation of the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite.
The lawyers, operating under the banner of Concerned Lawyers for Probity and Justice, said they were acting in solidarity with contractors allegedly owed over ₦4 trillion for completed federal capital projects across the country.
The protest was organised in collaboration with the Enough is Enough Movement and the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN).
Demonstrators accused the finance ministry of favouritism in the disbursement of funds and claimed that verified debts had remained unpaid despite repeated assurances from government officials.
Thursday’s action followed a series of demonstrations by contractors in recent weeks.
Some of those protests reportedly disrupted activities at the ministry, including incidents where access to the building was blocked and security personnel were forced to disperse crowds.
According to the protesting lawyers, only limited payments were made after similar demonstrations in December 2025, leaving the bulk of verified claims unsettled.
They warned that the prolonged delay had pushed many contractors into severe financial distress.
In a statement issued during the protest, the group’s spokesperson, Barrister Precious Okoh, described the situation as a humanitarian and economic crisis affecting thousands of Nigerian families.
Okoh said many contractors had relied on high-interest bank loans to execute government projects and were now facing loan defaults, asset seizures, and business collapse due to non-payment.
“Banks are taking over homes, vehicles, and equipment. Families are being torn apart, and breadwinners are sinking into despair because funds that were earned and approved have not been released,” he said.
He added that the impact extended beyond individual contractors, noting that delayed payments had resulted in widespread job losses among artisans, engineers, and labourers, while local economies linked to construction activity continued to suffer.
“When payments stop, jobs disappear, markets weaken, and economic growth stalls. A country that neglects its own builders undermines its own development,” Okoh stated.
The lawyers directly blamed the office of the Minister of State for Finance for the delay, insisting that leadership failure had worsened the crisis.
“We are deeply disappointed in Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite. Her ministry has shown neither urgency nor empathy. Given the gravity of this situation, she should step aside,” the statement read.
The group also cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the continued withholding of verified payments violated the state’s obligation to prevent abuse of power and promote the welfare of citizens.
They called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure transparency, accountability, and the immediate release of all outstanding funds owed to contractors.
The lawyers warned that if the issue remained unresolved, they would pursue legal action, including enforcement of contractual rights through the courts, public interest litigation, and appeals for international oversight of the payment process.