Concerns over the effectiveness of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing (RHH) scheme led to a heated exchange during a budget defense session with the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development. Legislators raised doubts about whether the program was truly benefiting ordinary Nigerians, its intended target.
The session, which reviewed the ministry’s 2024 budget, also highlighted confusion about the distinction between the RHH scheme and the National Housing Program. Minister of State Abdullahi Gwarzo, while presenting the ministry’s budget showing over ₦6 billion in internally generated revenue, admitted, “I’m yet to understand the difference between the two.”
Tensions escalated when Gwarzo revealed that 7,500 housing units were under construction, with 3,000 already completed. Senator Abdul Ningi voiced skepticism, questioning the project’s impact and public awareness. This prompted a defensive response from another lawmaker, briefly disrupting the session before order was restored.
Following the confrontation, the committee chairman directed Gwarzo to return on Tuesday with a more detailed report on the housing initiatives’ impact.
Gwarzo also addressed the N100 billion 2023 supplementary budget, explaining that the funds were used to settle outstanding payments to contractors for projects such as the Renewed Hope Housing Cities and estates, completion of the National Housing Programme, federal secretariat construction and rehabilitation, and general infrastructure improvements nationwide.