Abuja, May 31, 2026 – The Senate has appointed Senator Isah Jibrin, representing Kogi East Senatorial District, popularly known as Echocho, into a high-powered 6-man Ad-Hoc Committee set up to engage the Federal Government on settling outstanding debts owed to local contractors for capital projects executed nationwide.
The committee was inaugurated at the National Assembly by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio. Its mandate is to “review the backlog of unpaid contractors’ funds and interface with relevant government agencies, particularly the Federal Ministry of Finance, to determine the status of the liabilities and facilitate timely reimbursement.”
The move follows “increasing concerns over delayed payments to indigenous contractors, a development lawmakers say has negatively impacted project completion timelines, weakened local businesses, and created severe financial hardship for many firms handling government projects nationwide.”
Speaking during the inauguration, Senate President Akpabio stressed the weight of the assignment. “The committee has been mandated to thoroughly investigate the scale of the outstanding obligations and engage appropriate institutions to explore practical mechanisms for resolving the issue,” Akpabio said.
The committee is chaired by Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East, who also serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance. Other members include: Senator Isah Jibrin (Echocho) APC Kogi East, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru APC, Lagos East, Senator Kawu Sumaila APC, Kano South, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello APC, Niger North, and Senator Abdullahi Yahaya APC, Kebbi Central.
Accepting the responsibility on behalf of the panel, Senator Isah Jibrin (Echocho) thanked the Senate leadership for the trust placed in them. “He expressed gratitude to the Senate leadership for finding them worthy of such an important national assignment,” and assured Nigerians that “the committee would approach the task with diligence, transparency, and integrity, pledging that the panel would discharge its responsibilities without compromise and present its findings within the stipulated timeline.”
The Senate has given the committee one week to complete its work. The panel is expected to “submit a comprehensive report detailing the extent of the outstanding debts, ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to address the issue, and practical recommendations for clearing the backlog of payments.”
