Unpaid Imo Contractors Hold Special Prayer Session On Major Streets

Local contractors in Imo State under the umbrella of Unpaid Imo Contractors have taken a new dimension in their protest by conducting special prayer sessions on major streets within Owerri the State capital, in a bid to press down their demands from the State government.

They complained that most of their members had suffered untold hardship over the years due to unpaid contract sum of projects executed for the State government. Continue...

However, in a quick response, the Imo State Government had maintained that the claims by the group was malicious and politically motivated because the State government was not owing any contractor and if they  their claims were true, they should come up with documents to prove their claims.

This is the second time in 3 weeks that this group of local contractors in the state would be taking to the streets of Owerri in a peaceful protest calling on the State government to pay them for jobs executed in the State.

This time around the protest took another dimension as the group gathered on major streets in Owerri to hold a special prayer session.

While speaking to Channels Television, members of the group however, expressed regret over what they described as neglect and marginalization by the government on the part of contractors in the State who had executed various jobs but have not been paid by the State government.

However, the state government described these claims as malicious and a smear campaign against the Okorocha led administration who has done well in developing the State.

The state government called the group for a meeting at the Heroes Square in presence of the Local Government Officers in charge of projects, Commissioner of Police and other security operatives in a bid to find solution to the lingering issue.

While addressing the gathering, the Chief of Staff to the Imo State governor, Sir Jude Ejiogu, who represented the Governor, said the contractors should submit their documents for verification but Mr Udogadi Ononiwu, the chairman of the Unpaid Imo Contractors declined.

The meeting however, turned into a rowdy session as arguments lingered. It took the intervention of representatives from the Commissioner of Police to calm the situation down.

Both parties finally agreed to reschedule in 4 days time after the contract documents have been verified by the State government.