The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has faulted the Federal Government for celebrating revenue milestones while failing to pay local contractors who have completed government projects.

In a statement titled “Let Our SMEs Breathe” and posted on X, Obi said images of contractors protesting in Abuja and other states highlight a worsening contradiction between the government’s claims and its behaviour.

He stressed that most of the affected contractors are small and medium-sized enterprises whose survival depends on timely payment, noting that withholding their funds cripples local economies.

Obi said it was troubling that contractors remained unpaid despite President Bola Tinubu’s declaration in August that Nigeria had “met and surpassed” its 2025 revenue target.

He argued that increased revenue should translate to better public investment — particularly in education, healthcare and poverty-reduction programmes — not delayed obligations.

The former Anambra governor warned that unpaid contracts result in business closures, job losses, family hardship and a dip in national productivity.

He said a responsible government must honour its commitments if it expects citizens to trust its leadership.