Okey Maduforo A total of 72 contractors that supplied diesel for the lighting of street lights in Anambra state stormed the new Anambra State Government House, Awka, demanding payment for contracts to the tune of N900 million.
The contractors alleged that since March and April 2022 when the supply was made, the state government is yet to pay them lamenting that five of their members have died due to frustration.
According to the spokesman of the contractors, Hon Nnaemeka Oraka, they have made spirited representations before the state government presenting reports of the government consultants which had cleared them for payment, yet government is yet to settle them.
“We did this job from Obiano’s regime till the beginning of the tenure of Soludo in March last three years. “The last month Obiano paid us was in February because after the supply of diesel for street lights, they pay at the end of the month and no upfront payment and at the end of the month.
“The Ministry of Local Government would pay us because they were in charge. “So, after the handover, Soludo came in and we were encouraged to continue that Soludo wants the whole place light up as it used to be and we continued.
“Then March ended, there was no payment and we waited for two weeks into April and the new appointment came and one of the first move was to call us for a meeting and urged us to continue that the Governor is interested so we continued.
We were now waiting for our money and by the end of that April nothing came making it two months and first of May we were ordered to stop and by the end of that month and it made it two months.
“This particular fueling of generators started again in June and they paid us, but that of March and April we are being owed”.
