…….Asks FG to disclose how many National Housing Programme homes are completed, occupied, vacant or abandoned nationwide
The Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has called for a comprehensive audit of the abandoned National Housing Programme (NHP) estate in Kubwa-Karsana, Abuja, while asking the Federal Government to disclose the current status of NHP estates across the country.
The call followed the inspection of the Kubwa-Karsana project by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqa Rabe Darma, as part of the government’s assessment of abandoned federal housing assets.
HDAN welcomed the move but said the exercise should go beyond inspecting and rehabilitating abandoned buildings to establish why publicly funded housing projects were left unfinished in the first place.
“Nigerians deserve to know what happened to these projects, how much public money has already been committed and what it will now cost to complete them,” the organisation said.
HDAN said the Kubwa-Karsana estate should become a test case for how Nigeria identifies, audits, recovers and completes abandoned public housing projects.
According to the organisation, government should disclose when the project commenced, its original scope, number of units proposed, contractors engaged, funds appropriated and released, percentage completion and reasons construction stopped.
It also recommended an independent structural and financial assessment before additional public funds are committed.
HDAN ASKS: WHERE ARE THE OTHER NHP HOUSES?
HDAN said the investigation should not stop at Kubwa-Karsana, calling for a state-by-state audit of the National Housing Programme.
“Nigerians deserve to know how many houses were proposed under the NHP, how many were started, how many were completed, how many were allocated and fully paid for, and most importantly, how many Nigerian families are actually living in them today,” HDAN said.
The organisation also wants government to disclose the number of completed houses that remain vacant, units that are illegally occupied and projects that remain abandoned, uncompleted or deteriorating.
According to HDAN, the performance of a public housing programme should not be measured merely by the number of houses announced, constructed, commissioned or allocated.
“The real test of housing delivery is how many families have actually moved into decent and affordable homes,” it said.
HDAN therefore called on the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to publish an estate-by-estate status report showing the number of units started, completed, sold, allocated, fully paid for, legitimately occupied, vacant, illegally occupied and abandoned.
It also wants the government to explain why any completed NHP houses remain unoccupied despite the country’s substantial demand for affordable housing.
Where the problems involve pricing, infrastructure, mortgage access, allocation, documentation, roads, electricity or water, HDAN said they should be identified and addressed.
“Nigeria cannot be facing a serious housing affordability challenge while publicly funded houses remain abandoned, unfinished or empty,” the organisation stated.
CREATE NATIONAL REGISTER OF ABANDONED HOUSING
HDAN also called for the establishment of a National Register of Abandoned and Uncompleted Public Housing Projects.
The proposed register would identify abandoned federal housing developments, their locations, number of units, percentage completion, amount already invested, present condition, reasons for abandonment and estimated cost of completion.
Projects could then be classified for completion, rehabilitation, restructuring, private-sector partnership or redevelopment.
HDAN said government should adopt a policy of recovering viable existing housing investments while continuing to construct new homes where necessary.
“An abandoned estate represents more than unfinished buildings. It represents land that is not producing housing, public capital that is not generating value and homes that Nigerian families cannot occupy,” it said.
DON’T JUST COMPLETE THEM — MAKE THEM AFFORDABLE
HDAN cautioned that recovering abandoned estates would achieve little if the completed houses are eventually priced beyond the reach of intended beneficiaries.
It advocated affordable mortgages, rent-to-own and other structured payment arrangements, particularly for low- and middle-income households.
Allocation should also be transparent and supported by safeguards preventing speculative acquisition of subsidised public housing.
HDAN further proposed a digital monitoring system for government housing projects, with clear construction and delivery milestones to identify delayed projects before they become abandoned.
The organisation said the Federal Government’s nationwide assessment provides an opportunity to answer a fundamental question:
“Where are the houses delivered under the National Housing Programme, what condition are they in, and how many Nigerian families are actually living in them?”
HDAN said the government should ultimately publish clear figures showing how many NHP houses were started, how many were completed, how many are occupied, how many remain vacant and how many have been abandoned or left unfinished.
It added that the Kubwa-Karsana project could be transformed from a symbol of stranded public investment into a model for recovering unfinished housing assets across Nigeria.
HDAN is a leading civil society and research-driven housing advocacy organisation promoting affordable, accessible and sustainable housing in Nigeria and across Africa. Its advocacy covers housing affordability, finance, land administration, real estate regulation, consumer protection, housing data and sustainable housing delivery.
