Activities were disrupted at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Wednesday as a group of aggrieved contractors blocked all entry and exit points while protesting the non-payment of money owed them by the Federal Government.
The demonstration caused heavy gridlock and left both visitors and staff unable to access the premises for hours.
The protesters said they had executed several government-approved projects but had yet to receive payment despite repeated assurances.
They accused ministries and agencies of deliberately delaying their entitlements, claiming that the debts had accumulated for years without resolution.
Armed security officers from the Nigeria Police Force and other agencies were seen stationed at strategic points to forestall any violence.
Their presence, however, did little to ease the tension as the contractors insisted they would remain at the gates until government officials addressed them directly.
Inside the chamber, members of the House of Representatives held a lengthy closed-door meeting believed to centre on the contractors’ demands and other financial concerns.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over plenary, announced another executive session shortly after the first, as discussions stretched into the afternoon.
Some of the protesters told reporters that many of them had borrowed heavily to complete the projects, adding that the prolonged delay in payment had left them in financial distress.
They appealed to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to intervene urgently, warning that they might shut down future projects if their grievances were ignored.
