SOME Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contractors in Akwa Ibom State have demanded the payment of their fees for the renovation of classroom blocks.
They claimed to have executed the contracts two years ago, but are yet to be paid.
They threatened to embark on a hunger strike in protest.
The Akwa Ibom State NDDC School Renovation Contractors’ Association said it would explore legal options as well as embark on protests in Uyo, Port Harcourt and Abuja to press home their demand.
The group decried a situation where members have been left out of recent payments by the NDDC, despite repeated assurances by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) to pay contractors owed below N20 million.
They lamented that they have incurred huge debts having taken loans to do the jobs to specification despite not being mobilised in 2018.
The 140-member group said its members were being harassed by creditors, with some members dead and other critically ill.
The contractors said they complied with every directive of the NDDC since September 2017, including the verification exercise.
They appealed to the Presidency, the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the National Assembly to prevail on the NDDC IMC to pay their fees for work done.
The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to order the immediate publication of the list of all National Assembly members and any other Nigerian who got NDDC).
In a statement by its Secretary-General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, CNPP demanded the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the contract scam.

By Gbenga Omokhuni