FG Yet to Deliver 1,000 Abuja Homes Despite Promises
Nearly three months past the initial deadline, the Federal Government has yet to deliver the 1,000 housing units under the Renewed Hope Cities project in Karsana, Abuja, despite assurances from the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, in 2024.
The minister had pledged that “1,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope Cities would be delivered by the end of 2024, with additional units set for completion by mid-2025 for commissioning by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the pilot phase in Karsana, Abuja.”
This commitment was made during a briefing to the Senate Committee on Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, where Dangiwa outlined 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 in the Karsana pilot phase.
To facilitate the project, the minister explained that “the developers are responsible for financing the units, providing land and securing buyers, while the ministry guarantees their loans with bankable off-taker guarantees to enable access to financing.”
During the briefing, he provided an update on ongoing construction at the Karsana site, noting that developers had secured funding through Family Homes Funds and other sources and were actively working toward meeting the deadline. He further stated that a steering committee, comprising ministers, the permanent secretary, and the consortium of developers, had been established, along with a monitoring committee made up of officials from the Ministry of Housing, the Federal Mortgage Bank, Family Homes Funds, developers, and other institutions, tasked with overseeing the project’s progress 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. The lack of public updates has raised concerns about the fate of the Renewed Hope Cities initiative and its impact on Abuja’s housing deficit.
An official from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, speaking anonymously to The Punch, revealed that the project is now being tied to the president’s second-year anniversary in office.
“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 May 29, 2025,” the source stated.
As the delay persists, prospective homeowners and stakeholders remain uncertain about the future of the Karsana housing project, waiting for a clear timeline from the government.
