The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, has uncovered major discrepancies in official records on the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope housing project in Katsina State, finding that only about 130 of 250 units reported as completed are actually finished.
The discovery followed an unannounced inspection of the project site, during which physical verification by the minister contradicted briefing documents submitted to the ministry.
The scheme was awarded in December 2024 with a six-month completion timeline, meaning it was due for delivery by June 2025.
More than a year after that deadline, nearly half the units remain unfinished and key infrastructure, including road works, is yet to be delivered.
Darma expressed dissatisfaction with contractors who allowed timelines to lapse without formally requesting extensions as required under their contract terms.
“It is unacceptable for contractors to delay projects beyond agreed timelines without proper approval.
None of them requested extensions, which amounts to a breach of contract,” he said, also dismissing claims of funding constraints as insufficient justification for the delays.
Beyond the delivery failures, the inspection identified early signs of structural defects in some of the completed buildings.
The minister warned that substandard work would not be accepted and that all defects must be rectified before any handover.
“If we find these houses in poor condition, we will not accept them. All defects must be fixed before completion,” he said.
Darma directed ministry officials to convene an urgent meeting with all contractors and ordered a comprehensive audit detailing contractor identities, mobilisation timelines, contract terms, funds disbursed and actual progress on the ground. He also announced that a technical team would be deployed for a full site assessment.
The Katsina project is part of the Federal Government’s broader plan to deliver over 15,000 housing units nationwide through budgetary funding, public-private partnerships, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Housing Authority.
Reaffirming commitment to the programme, the minister said the goal is to deliver most of the units before the end of the current administration.
“Housing is for people, not animals. We must ensure these projects are completed and habitable,” he said.
