FRC, Housing Ministry lament as Delta housing project crawls

•Only 4 of 96 units near completion after 2 years

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) and the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development have raised concerns over the slow pace and poor quality of work on the Renewed Hope Affordable Housing Programme project in the Asaba-Uvwie-Ekpan axis of Delta State.

The concerns followed an inspection of the 96-unit housing project by the FRC South-South Verification Team on Selected Federal Government Projects as part of its ongoing physical verification exercise across the region.

During the inspection, the team found that only four of the 96 housing units were nearing completion, while several other components of the project remained unfinished or had not commenced.

The verification team also observed problems with roofing and other infrastructure, raising questions about the pace of execution and the quality of work being delivered by the contractors.

The Team Lead and Head of the Strategic Communications Directorate of the FRC, Mr. Bede Ogueri Anyanwu, expressed concern over the state of the project, stressing that the level of work seen at the site did not reflect the objectives of the Renewed Hope Affordable Housing Programme.

According to him, the programme was designed by the Federal Government to improve living conditions and expand access to affordable housing and other essential services for Nigerians.

He urged the contractors handling the project to return to the site and complete their assignments in line with approved specifications and quality standards.

Anyanwu specifically called on M/s Goodnews Creative Ideas Limited and M/s First Class Capital Project Limited to return to the site and address outstanding works, particularly the roofing of the housing units.

The team observed that wind had already damaged some of the roofing sheets installed on completed sections of the buildings, prompting concerns about the quality and durability of the materials used.

The development also raised questions about the standard of workmanship and whether the roofing materials were properly installed to withstand prevailing weather conditions.

The verification team further demanded explanations for the failure to commence several components of the project, despite the contracts reportedly being awarded in 2024.

Among the contractors and consultants whose works were yet to commence or remained incomplete are M/s Gozcon Investment, responsible for electricity works; M/s Blue Sea Investment Limited, handling road and drainage infrastructure; M/s Goodnews Creative Ideas Limited, also responsible for road and drainage works; and M/s Ecosphere Consulting Limited, engaged as consultant for the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the Renewed Hope Estate project in Delta State.

The representative of the Controller, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Delta State, Architect Uche Nwati, was invited to explain the status of the project and the reasons for the limited progress recorded at the site.

Nwati attributed some of the challenges to what he described as inadequate feasibility studies conducted before the contracts were awarded.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with the level of work executed at the project site, indicating that some of the challenges could have been avoided with more thorough planning before construction began.

The FRC team stressed the need for contractors handling Federal Government projects to deliver within approved timelines and according to agreed specifications and quality standards.

The commission said this was particularly important for projects such as the Renewed Hope housing programme, which are intended to provide critical social infrastructure and improve the living conditions of Nigerians.

Other members of the verification team were Mrs. Anthonia Danjuma of the Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate; Mr. Into-Sam Audu of the Investigation Unit; Mr. Cyri Longpam of the Secretariat of the Commission; and Quantity Surveyor George Nwarie, FNIQS, representing the quantity surveying profession.

The inspection is part of the FRC’s ongoing physical verification of selected Federal Government projects across the South-South geopolitical zone.

The exercise is aimed at assessing the level of project implementation, ensuring value for money and determining whether projects are being executed in compliance with approved standards, specifications and timelines.

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