National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Some aggrieved contractors who supplied COVID-19 machines and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Monday, staged a peaceful protest barricading the entrance gate of the FCTA secretariat.
The protesters demand for the full payment of their contract money led to pandemonium and traffic gridlock.
The development also led to long queues for FCDA staff and visitors, who were being screened to show their ID cards or proof of appointment to the office.
The protesting contractors who lamented that the payment is almost three years and that all their efforts have been washed down the drain, carried placards with different inscriptions such as, ‘Dear Minister, put an end to this wickedness, pay COVID-19 contractors; our money is close to three years already’, ‘We are tired of fake promises,’ and ‘we need our money now,’ among others.
One of the contractors, Mr. Micheal Ewoma, lamented that the FCTA management reengaged on the agreement of prompt payment after three years of supplies.
“It may interest you to know that by March 2023 it will be three years since the FCTA is owing us our money. Considering the politics going on presently, we do not want to be tied to nonpayment because of the electioneering period we are appealing to the government to pay us the money, because a lot of people are in debt and our staff has not been paid salaries for months.
“It has been difficult for all of us. That is why we are appealing to the minister to pay this money so that contractors who came out to do these jobs will also be happy. We need to pay back our loans.
“The FCTA management, having promised after we consulted with them severally, have failed to honour all agreements with COVID-19 contractors. This is almost three years running and nothing has been done.
“We are demanding 100 percent payment of all the COVID-19 files without batching. FCT authority should pay up all monies within a week to the COVID-19 contractors so that we all can move on with our lives,” he said.
