Senate Minority Leader and Senator Abba Moro, who represents the Benue South Senatorial District, has voiced alarm about the ongoing failure to pay contractors working on government projects, stating that the issue could jeopardize public trust in the budgetary process.
During Tuesday’s Senate plenary, Moro stated that he was grudgingly in favor of the proposed extension of the 2024 budget’s capital component, pointing out the detrimental effects that late payments are having on project completion nationwide.
Senator Moro stated, “Given the current situation, I am not envious of the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.”
“Mr. President, we must take the bull by the horn regarding budget appropriation.
“Unless we engage the Ministry of Finance more seriously, this parliament risks becoming an embarrassment.”
The Minority Leader, however, highlighted the challenges faced by contractors, noting that while some who had access to funds have committed them to project execution, many others without such resources have stalled due to delayed payments.
He also warned that the uncertainty surrounding payments may discourage even willing contractors from continuing with government projects.
How can we defend passing another appropriations measure when the 2025 budget is already in front of us and the 2024 projects are still mostly unfinished?
“Even financially secure contractors are now reluctant to commit because they fear they won’t be paid,” he continued.
Legislators from all parties have an obligation to help the government succeed, but they also have an obligation to be open about the difficulties that now exist, Senator Moro underlined.
“I propose that the payment procedure be unbundled and the money release be expedited in order to solve this issue. If not, we’ll just be fooling ourselves.
“We will still be dealing with unimplemented budgets from previous years by October or November of 2026,” he cautioned.
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