No more abandoned projects, FG promises

The Federal Government has issued a warning to developers and contractors who abandon their projects across the nation. Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, said this during an inspection tour of project sites awarded in 2019 by the government and its agencies in Abuja on Thursday. He said that only serious and competent developers and contractors would be allowed to continue their work.

The minister visited the 1,250-unit Estate, Jibi, FCT, and a condominium of 24 units of flats, consisting of 1, 2, and 3-bedroom flats also in FCT. The projects were funded by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He said that all project sites should be cleared of weeds and maintained properly. He said that the government would not waste its investment on abandoned projects and would invite the developers to explain why they left their work unfinished.

He said that the government’s goal was to provide affordable housing for all Nigerians, regardless of their income level. He said that President Bola Tinubu was passionate about this vision. He praised the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) for its performance in providing affordable housing for Nigerians and ensuring that the projects were completed on time.

He also addressed the issue of rising prices of materials that had affected the delivery time of the houses. He advised the developers to communicate with FMBN, which might have given them loans, and explain the reasons for the delay.

He revealed the government’s plan to build six megacities, Renewed Hope cities, one in each geopolitical zone of the country, and Renewed Hope estates in the remaining 30 states of the federation. He said that the ministry would soon start groundbreaking for the Renewed Hope project. He said that the project would be done through a public-private partnership (PPP) with some of the developers who would provide funding, while the ministry would provide an enabling environment.

He said that in FCT, the government was planning to build 10,000 housing units, which would cater to the needs of high, middle, and low-income earners. He said that the off-takers were already on the ground for these houses.

He also spoke about the Brains and Hammers Estate, which was one of the biggest estates (1,250 units) funded by FMBN. He said that the houses were almost fully completed and off-takers had been gotten. He said that the first phase of the project (800 units) would be ready for off-take by December, while the remaining 450 units would be completed soon.