Indigenous contractors in Gombe State have asked Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo to pay debts owed them for various jobs executed in the state, saying it is unacceptable to owe them for several years, while foreign contractors are paid promptly.
The indigenous contractors said they are being owed for upward of four years, noting that it has become necessary for the Federal Government and traditional institutions in the state to call on Governor Dankwambo to pay, as Gombe State at large bears the brunt of non-payment of these debts.
Accusing Governor Dankwambo of non-interest in indigenous contractors, the contractors reminded the governor of the sacrifices they made in building the state, saying several of them have folded up as a result of non-servicing of bank loans borrowed to finance projects in the state.
An architect attached to one of the firms, Sumaila Gamzhi, said against the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s ease of doing business and the quest to develop the country, states governors such as Dankwambo’s non-payment of local contractors is a huge step backwards in achieving such set goals.
His words: “While we are made to beg cap in hand for debts and money owed us for the different projects executed painstakingly in the state, some foreign contractors are being paid on a monthly basis, the logic of which is what we are yet to come to terms with.
“This is not only unfair, but also clearly defies the spirit of sacrifices that we have put in to make Gombe State a beautiful and peaceful state.”
The contractors, while calling for fairness and responsibility on the part of the governor, said it is left to be imagined how dependants and families attached to the local contractors have been fairing.
They added that since some have been owed for almost four years and beyond, unemployment in the state has skyrocketed.