Gunshot Heard as Contractors Block Finance Ministry Entrance in Abuja

A protest by local contractors disrupted activities at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja on Monday after demonstrators blocked the entrance to the complex, preventing the minister of state for finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, from gaining access.

The protesters, operating under the banner of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), said the action was in response to unpaid debts allegedly owed to them by the federal government.

Uzoka-Anite arrived at the ministry while the protest was ongoing. Security operatives attempted to clear a passage for her to enter the building, but the move was resisted by the contractors, who remained stationed at the gate.

As tensions rose, the protesters chanted slogans accusing the government of neglect and endangering citizens. During the confrontation, a gunshot was heard while security personnel tried to disperse the crowd. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The contractors accused the federal government of failing to pay for completed projects and of withholding funds approved in the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

The protest follows a series of similar demonstrations staged last year at the National Assembly complex and the Ministry of Finance.

In December 2025, President Bola Tinubu constituted a multi-ministerial committee to address outstanding payments to federal contractors, estimated at about ₦1.5 trillion. The committee includes Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy; Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning; Tanimu Yakubu, director-general of the budget office; Dave Umahi, minister of works; Ahmed Dangiwa, minister of housing and urban development; and Zacch Adedeji, chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Separately, a Senate committee has summoned Edun to explain the circumstances surrounding the delayed payments.