The House of Representatives Committee on Urban Development and Regional Planning has issued strong accusations against contractors involved in the Renewed Hope housing project in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, alleging deliberate sabotage against the Federal Government’s efforts to provide affordable housing for citizens.
The charges were made by Committee Chairman Awaji-Inombek Dagomie Abiante (PDP, Rivers) during an oversight visit to the project site ahead of the presentation of the 2025 budget.
Abiante, expressing his dismay at the state of progress, summoned Housing and Urban Development Minister Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and the four contractors responsible for the project to provide explanations for the delays and substandard execution. The chairman described the implementation of the project as highly unsatisfactory, noting that despite significant funding—30 percent allocated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development—less than six percent of the work had been completed.
He underscored that the housing project, awarded in June with a projected completion date in September, should have shown far more progress by now. His dissatisfaction was compounded by the poor quality of work on the Umu Etuk-Spencer Esin Road slum upgrade in Oron. The chairman stressed that competent, reliable contractors were essential for the proper execution of government initiatives, emphasizing the need for accountability and high standards in federal projects.
Abiante voiced particular frustration over the contractor responsible for the Oron road project, who he claimed had squandered allocated funds on subpar materials, leading to a road that, despite being built as recently as July, had already deteriorated visibly. “You can see the deplorable state of this road, which was intended to ease the hardships faced by the local residents. The committee finds this situation unacceptable,” he stated, highlighting the gravity of wasted public resources.
Naming the firms involved, Abiante pointed out that Springwell Intercontinental Resources, Tunsoye Trust Global Link, and Hyosungs Nigeria Limited were overseeing the construction of 250 housing units in Uruan and Uyo Capital City. Logine Limited was tasked with the slum upgrade in Oron Local Government Area. He accused these contractors of undermining the Renewed Hope Housing Scheme initiated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a move to enforce accountability, Abiante instructed the legislative panel’s Clerk to send formal invitations to Minister Dangiwa and the contractors, compelling them to appear before the committee on Thursday without fail. The chairman explained that the meeting would serve as an opportunity to clarify the obstacles that had led to such a disappointing level of progress and to outline necessary measures to prevent future lapses in project execution.
