Activities at the National Assembly were halted on Wednesday as aggrieved local vendors, lawyers, and civil society activists sealed off the major entry and exit points of the complex in objection over an alleged N3 trillion debt owed to them by the Federal Government.
The demonstration brought vehicular movement to a halt from the Assembly gate through the Federal Secretariat stretch in Abuja, forcing lawmakers, staff, and visitors to seek alternate access routes.
Plenary and committee schedules were also impacted, with some legislators reportedly held up outside the premises. Holding placards and singing solidarity songs, the contractors pledged to maintain the blockade “for as long as it takes” until payment notifications hit their phones for government projects they claimed to have finished.
Speaking during the protest, the National President of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria, Jackson Nwosu, said the group was left with no option after years of unmet assurances.
“We are here because the Federal Government declined to pay contractors, and we have brought the case to the parliament to address our grievances,” he said. “These are capital projects that had already been executed, and we have been pushing for payment since 2024. They are indebted to our association alone over N3trn.” Nwosu said the group has held several meetings with senior government officials to resolve the issue, but without success. “We have had meetings with the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Accountant General of the Federation and even met with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, sometime around September 4. He came in to mediate.”
“But we have heard that the problem is from the presidency. Yesterday, a senator came to reassure us that our matter will be reviewed. So we will continue to block the entrance of the National Assembly until we get our alerts.”
The current protest comes just 24 hours after a similar blockade forced lawmakers to postpone plenary on Tuesday. In response, the House of Representatives on Wednesday went into a private executive session immediately after assembling, with discussions believed to be focused on the rising contractor unrest and its implications.
The private session lasted over two hours before lawmakers moved to Room 028 for further discussions. As of 3:00 p.m., the meeting was still ongoing, with no official statement issued to journalists.
The contractors, reportedly owed for projects linked to the Federal Government’s capital releases under the 2025 fiscal cycle, have accused authorities of repeatedly changing payment timelines despite verification and clearance processes already completed. Wednesday’s blockade marked the second day of consecutive protests, leading to traffic gridlocks across the Three Arms Zone and prompting calls for immediate intervention to prevent the dispute from disrupting legislative business.
The House is expected to re-convene later to resume plenary once agreement is reached behind closed doors.
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