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Reps’ Deputy Speaker, Kalu, Finance Minister, Edun resolve indigenous contractors crisis with FG
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The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR, Thursday, successfully brokered a resolution through his intervention, bringing an end to the standoff between the Federal Government and indigenous contractors of Nigeria.
This came after the contractors, owed for months, staged a protest in Abuja.
Following his appointment as Chairman of the House Special Committee on Budget Implementation by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD, GCON, Kalu convened an expanded meeting with the contractors numbering over 80 across the country with their leadership for an open dialogue on the issue.
In attendance were also the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamseldeen Ogunjimi and other top government officials.
After a marathon meeting lasting over four hours, Kalu announced that all parties have resolved the issues in the interest of the economy.
Kalu’s intervention was hailed by the parties who said that it averted further disruptions, demonstrating the effectiveness of dialogue in resolving disputes.
To this end, payments to contractors are expected to commence from Monday.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, the Deputy Speaker said that a mutually beneficial agreement was reached, expressing his gratitude to the Speaker of the House and his colleagues for entrusting him with the responsibility.
He also announced subsequent meetings later this month to evaluate progress.
He said: “First of all, I want to thank the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass, PhD, GCON, the leadership of the House for finding me worthy to be the Chairman of Budget Implementation Committee. We met yesterday, cut down our holidays to be able to reconvene and look into this all important matters.
“We met on Wednesday with Finance Minister, Minister of Budget and Planning, Accountant-General of the Federation, Representatives that cut across all the caucuses of the House, including representation from the House Appropriation Commitee and Finance.
“We saw the protest and asked them to come, lets have a conversation. I want to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for appointing these gentlemen to occupy the positions they occupy.
“They have shown humility in service. They’ve shown diligence in the way this matter has been handled and the parliament we are happy that all we discussed yesterday they started implementing today, the ability to engage with the people.
“We had over 4 hours engagement and they left here smiling. We got the strategy in place, and we’re going to come back on the 21st of this month to review what we’ve done so far, how we’ve ticked the boxes, what needs to be done and the way forward.”
Also speaking, the minister of finance, Edun commended the Deputy Speaker for his intervention, assuring that the payment will commence next week.
“Under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, we did hold a marathon meeting today where all the issues were discussed and a timeline was put in place and a way forward was mapped out and all parties at the end of it left knowing that contractors would be paid for jobs done and we have an orderly and systematic way of dealing with the backlogs which had approved overtime.
“Once again, we commend the leadership of the House of Representatives and the contractors for their willingness to sit down and dialogue. The Accountant-General of the Federation made some commitments which helped us to chart the way forward.
“We had a peaceful solution. A timeline was put in place and everyone accepted that there are steps that need to be taken, approvals, finalization and orderly procedure for payments. After Friday’s holiday, the Central Bank will open again on Monday and payments will commence immediately”, he said.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Ogunjimi corroborated the position of the minister of finance.
“This process is ongoing. We’ve been paying contractors and we will continue to pay. From Monday, payments will start dropping”, he said.
Earlier in the meeting, the leadership and membership of the association of indigenous contractors of Nigeria expressed satisfaction with the resolutions reached.
Commending the Deputy Speaker for his intervention, they also pledged to discontinue with the protest.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, has slashed its fuel pump price for the second time within four days.
A market survey on Saturday by DAILY POST showed that NNPCL retail outlets around Airport Junction and Wuse Zone 6 (Berger) in Abuja have reduced their petrol price to N1210 per litre, down from N1260.
This means that the state-owned oil firm slashed the petrol price by N50 per litre.
This comes barely two days after Dangote Refinery reduced its petrol gantry price by N50 to N1,125 per litre.
Recall that four days ago, NNPCL had adjusted its fuel price pump by N75 per litre to N1260.
With the latest drop by NNPCL retail outlets, petrol prices stand between N1210 per litre and N1305 per litre in Abuja and its environs.
The reduction in domestic fuel comes amid falling crude oil prices, which stand at $69 per barrel and $71 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude, respectively, following the easing of the conflict in the Middle East.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu has kept mum amid the clamour by Nigerians for a commensurate drop in domestic fuel pump prices due to the significant reduction in crude oil prices.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it is yet to receive the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the Federal High Court judgment that set aside an earlier order directing it to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, as a political party.
INEC revealed this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola.
According to the commission, although it is aware of media reports on the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja on June 26, it cannot comment on the ruling until it obtains and reviews the certified copy.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is aware of reports circulating in the media regarding the judgment delivered on Friday, June 26, 2026, by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which set aside an earlier order concerning the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
“However, as of this moment, the Commission has not yet received the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the court’s order,” the statement said.
INEC stated that its legal department would study the judgment upon receipt of the CTC before advising the commission on the next course of action.
“Once the Commission’s legal department receives and thoroughly studies the CTC of the judgment, INEC will take an informed, lawful decision in line with the court’s directives.
“Until then, we cannot comment on the specifics of the ruling, and the public is urged to await the Commission’s formal position on the matter,” Oketola added.
Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja had on Friday set aside the court’s December 10, 2025, judgment directing INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party were affected by the earlier judgment because it was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in securing the registration order.
Justice Dashen consequently ordered that all parties be restored to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and directed that the substantive suit be heard afresh with all necessary parties joined.
The NDC has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal the decision. Its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, maintained that the party had not been deregistered and argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.
The ruling has also attracted reactions from opposition figures, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other stakeholders, who described the decision as a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and vowed to challenge it through all available legal channels.
INEC, however, maintained that it would reserve its position on the judgment until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy.
A joint police operation rescued five victims abducted near Ogbere Forest in Ogun state on Wednesday.
They were rescued within 25 hours by the Lagos and Ogun Police Commands, which were part of a joint operation codenamed KOSAYE, meaning “No Space” in Yoruba.
The woman was among the victims who were shot in the incident. Her daughter and sister were among those rescued by the police on Thursday.
NNPC slashes petrol price twice within four days
Lokoja Court order: INEC speaks on NDC, says it’s yet to receive CTC
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