FG yet to deliver 1,000 Abuja homes despite promises

Nearly three months after the initial deadline, the Federal Government is yet to deliver the 1,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope Cities in Karsana, Abuja, as promised by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, in 2024.

The minister had assured that “1000 housing units of the Renewed Hope Cities would be delivered by the end of the year, 2024, with the other units to be delivered by mid-2025 for commissioning by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the pilot phase of the project in Karsana, Abuja.”

This commitment was made during a briefing to the Senate Committee on Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, where the minister detailed the ambitious Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme. Under this initiative, a consortium of developers was contracted to deliver 100,000 housing units nationwide, with Abuja expected to receive 20,000 units, including 3,112 units in the Karsana pilot phase.

To facilitate this project, the minister explained that “the developers are to provide the financing for the units, the land and off-takers, while the ministry guarantees their loan with bankable off-takers guarantee to enable them access to the finance.”

During the briefing, the minister presented a comprehensive update to the Senate Committee, highlighting ongoing construction at the Karsana site.

He noted that developers had secured funding through Family Homes Funds and other means and were actively working to meet the delivery deadline.

He further informed the Senate Committee that “a steering committee comprising ministers, the permanent secretary and the consortium of developers was set up, as well as a monitoring committee made up of officials from the ministry, Federal Mortgage Bank, Family Home Funds, the developers and other institutions, who monitor the projects on a weekly basis.”

Despite these assurances, the government has remained silent on why the December 2024 deadline was missed and when the promised housing units will be delivered. There has been no public update on the project’s progress, raising concerns about the fate of the Renewed Hope Cities initiative and its impact on Abuja’s housing needs.

Almost three months past the deadline, the government has yet to provide an official explanation for the delay, leaving prospective homeowners and stakeholders uncertain about the future of the Karsana housing project.

An official in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, who pleaded anonymity, told The Punch that the project was scheduled to mark the president’s 2nd year in office.

He said, “The plan is to commission about 1,000 housing units to mark the 2nd year anniversary of Mr President, so we are looking at inaugurating it before 29 May 2025.”