Mounting Pressure on Wale Edun, Accountant-General to Quit Over Unpaid 2024 Contracts

The Coalition for Equity and Accountability in Public Finance (CEAPF) has called for the immediate resignation of Finance Minister Wale Edun and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, over the government’s failure to settle payments for contracts duly captured in the 2024 budget and already executed by local contractors.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its President, Comrade Segun Daramola, and Secretary-General, Comrade Isaac Idachaba, the coalition warned that it would petition the National Assembly and lobby lawmakers across party lines to pass a vote of no confidence in both officials if they fail to resign voluntarily.

“This is no longer a mere administrative delay; it is a deliberate dereliction of duty. Contractors have executed projects approved under the 2024 Appropriation Act, yet they remain unpaid and are being pushed into bankruptcy. Meanwhile, government funds are being diverted to projects not listed in either the 2024 or 2025 budgets. This is unlawful, reckless, and unacceptable,” the statement read.

The coalition described the situation as a disturbing trend in fiscal management, where statutory obligations are ignored while off-budget spending is given priority. It stressed that this practice undermines transparency and erodes confidence in the sanctity of the national budget.

“What we are witnessing is a distortion of governance itself. Appropriation is the bedrock of democracy, ensuring that public funds are spent only as authorised by the people’s representatives. If ministers and accountants can disregard this with impunity, then the National Assembly must act by removing those who have undermined its authority,” the group declared.

According to CEAPF, many contractors across the country are trapped in crippling debt after borrowing heavily from commercial banks to deliver on government projects. This neglect, it said, has triggered a chain reaction of economic hardship, affecting suppliers, small businesses, and workers whose livelihoods depend on the contracting system.

“Instead of stimulating the economy, government contracts have, under Mr. Wale Edun and the Accountant-General, become instruments of ruin. Firms are collapsing, jobs are being lost, and banks are foreclosing on loans. This is nothing short of economic sabotage through negligence,” the coalition maintained.

The group argued that the crisis is both financial and moral, insisting that resignation is the only honourable course left for the two officials. Anything less, it said, would make a “mockery of accountability.”

“Our democracy cannot thrive on unfulfilled promises. If a government can budget for projects, award them, certify them, and then refuse to pay while diverting funds to unapproved ventures, the message to citizens and investors is clear — contracts mean nothing, and Nigeria is lawless. That is why we must draw the line here,” the statement added.

CEAPF also urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action, warning that his credibility as a reformer is at stake.

“The President has repeatedly spoken about fiscal discipline and reform. This is the time to prove those words have meaning. If his appointees cannot carry out the most basic responsibility of honouring the budget and paying for completed contracts, they must step aside for those who can,” the group said.

For many analysts, the controversy over unpaid contracts has gone beyond an accounting matter. It has become a test of Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law in public finance and a measure of whether its leaders will respect parliamentary authority.