The All-Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria has dismissed the claim by the finance ministry about a disbursement of ₦152 billion allegedly owed to its members for projects executed under the federal government’s 2024 budget.

Describing the claim on Thursday by the minister of state for finance, Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, as an attempt to misinform the public, AICAN national general secretary, Babatunde Seun Oyeniyi, told journalists on Tuesday that only ₦61 billion out of over ₦4 trillion owed contractors was paid.

Mr Oyeniyi said, “AICAN wishes to inform the general public and set the record straight regarding the false and misleading information recently released by the Honourable Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, and promoted by a blogger known as Dee-One.

“The claim that the Honourable Minister has paid ₦152 billion to AICAN members is completely false and misleading. Even if, for the sake of argument, such an amount had been paid (which it has not), would it be considered an achievement out of over ₦4 trillion owed by the Federal Government to contractors nationwide?

“From December 2025 to date, only ₦61 billion has been received, covering 611 companies only. The claim that AICAN has been paid ₦152 billion is false, deceptive, and intended to mislead the Nigerian public.”

Mr Oyeniyi stated that a meeting with the finance minister, Wale Edun, on December 2, 2025, witnessed the approval of ₦150 billion to settle outstanding payments but has yielded slow implementation.

He explained that 611 out of 786 companies submitted for batch payments were finalised, totaling ₦61.5 billion, while 175 other companies are yet to receive payment due to issues pertaining to review, approval, and documentation.

Advising against the false claim by the ministry, which may have a negative effect on ongoing reconciliation efforts and dampen their confidence in the government, Mr Oyeniyi warned that the failure to release all approved payments and sign outstanding warrants will worsen the financial strain on contractors, thereby delaying project delivery and job retention.

The association had, in a protest last Monday and Tuesday, blocked the entrance to the finance ministry in Abuja, preventing Mrs Uzoka-Anite from entering the complex, prompting security personnel to fire a shot into the air to disperse the demonstrators.