By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
The House of Representatives on Tuesday suspended plenary for one week following protests by local contractors who barricaded the entrance to the National Assembly complex over non-payment for projects executed since 2024.
Daily Trust reports that the indigenous contractors blocked access routes to the complex, alleging that the federal government had failed to pay for completed contracts despite several assurances.
The lawmakers said the decision to suspend plenary became necessary due to the difficulty members faced accessing the National Assembly premises and to allow time for the leadership to engage with the executive to resolve the contractors’ grievances.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance moved by the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, who decried the government’s failure to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Ministers of Finance and Budget to pay local contractors.
Chinda said the continued non-payment had caused “untold hardship” to the contractors and called on the House to take a firm position.
In response, the House gave the Ministers of Finance, Wale Edun; Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; and the Accountant-General of the Federation seven days to clear all outstanding payments to the contractors and begin full implementation of the 2025 budget.
The Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, who presided over the session, put the motion to a voice vote, and it was unanimously adopted.
Drama, however, ensued when Hon. Kabiru Ahmadu Mai-Palace (Zamfara State) proposed a follow-up motion calling for the suspension of plenary sessions for one week until the executive responds to the ultimatum.
Supporting the motion, Hon. Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, said the move was logical since the protesters had vowed to continue their demonstration for a week.
“Members came late today because the roads were blocked by the protesters. It’s sensible to step back and allow the executive to act,” Waive said.
The motion was unanimously approved, and the Deputy Speaker ruled that the House would adjourn plenary until next Tuesday, pending the outcome of consultations between the legislature and the executive.
The leadership was also directed to ensure strict compliance with the resolution and report back within one week for “further drastic legislative action” if the executive fails to act.