1 hour ago
1
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised the Federal Government over its mounting debts to local contractors and pensioners, saying the situation is a clear sign of insensitivity to the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
The party made its position known in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
The ADC warned that it is prepared to join the ongoing protests by contractors and pensioners if the government fails to act immediately.
The party said it is deeply disturbed by the condition of local contractors who have been camping for weeks at the Federal Ministry of Finance, carrying coffins to symbolise the death of their businesses due to unpaid debts.
It added that pensioners, who have threatened to protest naked if their unpaid arrears remain unattended to, are also victims of what the party described as government neglect.
“We also stand in strong solidarity with pensioners who are now threatening to march naked in protest if the Federal Government fails to pay what it owes to them in long arrears of pensions.
“No serious government allows things to deteriorate to the point where citizens must resort to coffins and naked protests before they are taken seriously. But this only further confirms that the APC government is insensitive and does not care about the damage that their actions or inactions do to the country’s image, and more importantly, to the livelihood of ordinary citizens,” the statement read.
The party questioned the Federal Government’s frequent claims of surpassing revenue targets while huge debts remain unpaid.
It questioned why the government has yet to clear over N500 billion owed to contractors for jobs already finished and why pensioners are still waiting for the increases and palliatives approved more than a year ago.
“If our national finances are truly as strong as the government claims, why are contractors still owed over N500 billion? Why are pensioners still waiting for increments and palliatives approved long ago? You cannot claim revenue excellence while ordinary Nigerians are drowning in unpaid debts. Something is not adding up,” the statement noted.
The ADC also criticised the government for focusing on political mobilisation ahead of 2027 instead of addressing the debt crisis.
“And, instead of addressing this crisis, the APC-led government is busy distributing campaign vehicles, mobilising coordinators, and building structures for 2027. A government that cannot pay its own contractors and cannot honour its obligations to pensioners has absolutely no moral right to be campaigning for another term.
The party said it is fully aware of the hardship and humiliation the contractors and pensioners are going through and stressed that such suffering cannot continue. It added that the ADC is ready to join them in a protest if the government fails to take urgent action to resolve their grievances.
The statement ended with the party saying it would remain on the side of Nigerians who have been forced into hardship by the failures of the APC-led administration.
It added that, “whenever this government breaks the trust of the people, we will work to restore it, and whenever they neglect their duties, we will step up to defend those affected.”
We may join contractors, pensioners in protests against govt over debts – ADC warns
