Two housing estates ‘completed’ and ‘inaugurated’ by the federal government in Ungwar Rere and Kwandere in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, are rotting away, LEADERSHIP can authoritatively report.
The projects were initiated under the National Housing Programme (NHP) in partnership with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association’s National Affordable Housing Project.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari initiated a ₦500 billion Social Housing Project aimed at providing affordable homes to low-income Nigerians.
The programme was designed to be implemented in phases; the first phase was to run as a pilot to deliver 1,400 housing units in the country’s six geopolitical zones.
According to the plan, each zone would have 200 houses, with 100 units in two selected states. Abuja and Lagos would be treated as special sites. Nasarawa was one of the two states picked in the North-Central geopolitical zone to benefit from the housing programme.
Under the National Housing Programme, contracts were awarded in 2016 for the construction of the houses nationwide, including 76 units in Ungwar Rere. An additional 100 units were designated to be built in Kwandere, also in Lafia, with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) performing the groundbreaking for the commencement of work in 2018.
While the Kwandere housing units were inaugurated in 2021, the 76 units at Angwar Rere were said to have been completed and unveiled in 2022.
During the inauguration of the 76 units at Angwar Lere in March 2022, former President Buhari, who was represented by the then minister of state, science, technology and innovation, Muhammed Abdullahi, said the estate fulfilled the promise to provide shelter for Nigerians.
Then minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by the director, Public Buildings and Housing Development, Arc. Solomon Labafilo said, “Today in Nasarawa State at Anguwan Rere, along Shendam road, Lafia, we have completed over 76 housing units, including 44 one-bedroom units, 48 two-bedroom units, and 24 three-bedroom bungalows.”
Project Far From Completion
LEADERSHIP observed during a visit to the facility that although some houses were completed with infrastructure in place, none are occupied.
Several others were also far from completed. Some were at the foundation stage, others were raised midway, and some were roofed, plastered, and abandoned.
Our correspondent gathered that the houses were given out to multiple contractors during the award of contracts.
An investigation indicated that some contractors abandoned the projects midway due to nonpayment.
A source with one of the companies that got the contract told LEADERSHIP in confidence that his organisation exited the scene over the government’s failure to provide it with funds, even though it had progressed to an advanced stage as agreed.
“We came in the second phase to provide four units of three-bedrooms, two-bedrooms and one-bedrooms, but we had to abandon the site due to failure to release the fund as earlier agreed.”
He disclosed that other contractors who faced similar constraints also abandoned the site.
“Some of our property, especially the cables, were vandalised. At some point, we had to provide security to secure our property, but after some time, we had to move out what we could altogether,” he stated.
Our correspondent noticed that some of the completed houses have had their roofs blown off. Rot and dilapidation are visible, and weeds have overtaken the area.
The village head of Ungwar Rere, Mallam Shugaba Sale, decried the state of the facilities while calling on the appropriate authorities to utilise the houses.
Our correspondent observed that although completed, none of the houses at the Kwandere estate was occupied. It was also discovered that some of the accessories, such as electric cables and window panes, among others, were vandalized. Like the situation at the Angwar Rere housing estate, the roofs of many of the houses had been blown off. Natives, especially women, have turned the road network into a space for drying their cassava.
One of them, Jummai Garba, told our correspondent during the visit to the estate that the area is more secure for the women who deal in cassava because it is not within the public right-of-way. LEADERSHIP reports that Kwandere is one of the cassava hubs of the Lafia Local Government of the state. She said that with no provision for drying space, the estate’s road network became handy for the women who are mostly cassava flour and garri dealers.
However, in spite of the two unoccupied estates, the federal government last year flagged off the construction of 250 housing units in Azuba community near Lafia, tagged “Renewed Hope Housing Estate,” a concept drawn from President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
Our correspondent reports that work on the estate project, which comprises 50 one-bedroom, 150 two-bedroom, and 50 three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, has reached an advanced stage.
When contacted, the controller of housing and urban development in charge of Nasarawa State, Garba Bashir, explained that every administration typically comes up with a distinct concept on how to provide affordable houses for the people, and that to the federal government, governance is a continuum.
He explained that the existing housing estates in the state, including those of Angwar Rere, were not abandoned, saying the ministry was working towards completing and allocating them.
The controller noted that the units at Kwandere were initiated by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and, therefore, outside his purview.
Housing units too costly for workers
However, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria’s Lafia Branch Manager, Mrs. Hilda Odiachi, explained that affordability challenges caused the delay in allocation.
“By law, we cannot deduct more than a specific portion of a worker’s salary for housing repayment. Unfortunately, most applicants earn below what is required. However, we have now reviewed the pricing and are finalising allocation plans. We urge applicants to remain calm and patient,” she said.
