Dangiwa: FG Won’t Tolerate Substandard Jobs in Ongoing Construction of Housing Estates Nationwide

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, yesterday said that the federal government will not accept substandard jobs in the ongoing Renewed Hope Estates being constructed by the Bola Tinubu administration nationwide.

Dangiwa issued the warning in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state during the groundbreaking of 250 housing units in the state under the programme, charging developers handling the project to adhere to standards and specifications to deliver quality houses.

He maintained that contractors must build in line with the terms and approved standards for the benefits of Nigerians, according to a statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the ministry, Badamasi Haiba.

The flag-off in Ebonyi state marked the first  of eight states in the second leg of groundbreaking to be performed for the programme launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in February 2024. The exercise will  cover six Southern states and two in the North-central region of the country.

The first leg of the exercise began with the groundbreaking of 1,500 housing units in the northern part of Nigeria, comprising 250 housing units Renewed Hope Estates, in Katsina, Yobe, Gombe and Sokoto and a 500-housing unit Renewed Hope City in Kano.

 Dangiwa stated: “Work is currently ongoing at each of these sites, and our plan is to have them all completed within the next couple of months and made available to Nigerians in line with Mr. President’s desire to provide quality housing for all Nigerians.”

The project  to be developed by Jephthah Global Investments Ltd, Proportion Construction Works Nigeria Limited, Ideal Shelters Limited and KLYN Construction Works Ltd, will have 50 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 150 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 50 units of three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.

The minister said: “We have designed these housing units in a way that makes it easy and affordable for people to offtake by using organic designs to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases.

“What this means is that one-bedroom can be expanded to two bedrooms and two-bedrooms can also be expanded to three bedrooms as the owner’s financial situation improves or his family grows.”

The minister, while urging the developers to work within the stipulated time frame of three months, emphasised the economic component of housing construction and its potential to develop the economy.

“Statistics show that construction of one housing unit creates an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs. So, for these 250 housing units that we are building here in Ebonyi, we aim to create jobs for over 6,500 people in various trades.

“From professionals like architects, civil engineers, mechanical engineers to masons, plumbers, tilers, electricians etc. This is besides the economic activities involving persons selling food, supplying blocks, building materials and the likes. The value chain effect of construction work on this site is big and creates positive economic impact,” he said.

The Ebonyi State Governor,  Francis Nwifuru, represented by his Deputy,   Patricia Obila, described the project as a remarkable journey by the federal government to provide affordable housing for Nigerians.