Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has directed contractors working on the Abuja-Lokoja, Lagos-Port Harcourt, Keffi-Makurdi, and Abuja-Kano expressways not to close their sites during the yuletide without the approval of his ministry. The minister also directed the contractors to exit all previous agreements, including those involving Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) tax credit contracts inherited by the federal government, before they would be considered for payment.
Umahi announced that the federal government had directed NNPCL to pay the sum of ₦263 billion to contractors, stressing that the volume of debt owed to contractors from 2023 to date stood at ₦2.13 trillion, and payment would only commence once the figures were clearly confirmed. Addressing contractors in Abuja, the minister, after commending them for accommodating road projects that were not included in the budget, stressed the need to clear the roads during the yuletide to ease movement, noting specifically that the federal government was embarrassed by the gridlock on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway.
