By Muhammad Mamman
Pressure is mounting on President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, following allegations of widespread contract payment defaults.
The Coalition for Equity and Accountability in Public Finance (CEAPF) has demanded the immediate resignation of the two officials, accusing them of failing to pay contractors for projects fully executed and appropriated under the 2024 federal budget.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, signed by CEAPF President Segun Daramola and Secretary-General Isaac Idachaba, the group warned it would lobby the National Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence if the pair refuse to step down.
“This is no longer a mere administrative delay; it is a calculated dereliction of duty,” the coalition declared. “Contractors have delivered projects backed by law, yet they remain unpaid and driven towards bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the federal government is funding projects not captured in either the 2024 or 2025 appropriation acts. This is unlawful, reckless, and unacceptable.”
CEAPF said the alleged contradictions in fiscal management undermine transparency, distort governance, and erode public trust in the sanctity of the budget process.
“If ministers and accountants can disregard appropriation at will, then lawmakers must assert their authority by removing those who have flagrantly undermined them,” the statement continued.
According to the group, many contractors are now saddled with crippling debts after borrowing from banks at high interest rates to deliver government projects, triggering a chain reaction that has harmed suppliers, small businesses, and workers.
“Government contracts are meant to stimulate the economy. Instead, under the stewardship of Mr Edun and the Accountant-General, they have become instruments of ruin. Firms are collapsing, jobs are being lost, and banks are foreclosing on loans. This is economic sabotage by negligence,” CEAPF alleged.
The coalition maintained that resignation is the only honourable course left for both officials, warning that anything less would be “a mockery of accountability”.
It also called on President Tinubu to intervene decisively, stressing that the situation could undermine his much-vaunted reform agenda.
“The President has spoken of fiscal discipline and reform. This is the moment to prove that those words have meaning. If his team members cannot carry out the most basic functions of governance, then the credibility of his promises is at stake,” CEAPF concluded.
