The federal government says it is reviewing abandoned housing projects across the country to determine their status, level of completion and the interventions required to bring them back into use.

The minister of housing and urban development, Muttaqa Darma, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inspection of an abandoned National Housing Programme (NHP) estate in Kubwa-Karsana District, Abuja.

Mr Darma expressed concern over the continued abandonment of government housing projects, stressing the need to complete public assets and make them available to citizens.

“The federal government would take decisive steps to upgrade and complete viable abandoned housing projects across the country, with the objective of delivering more affordable and decent homes to Nigerians,” he said.

The minister said the government could not continue to allow housing projects initiated with public funds to remain abandoned for prolonged periods.

“We cannot continue to allow housing projects that were started with public funds to remain abandoned,” Mr Darma said.

He emphasised that the abandoned projects represented public investments that should be preserved and utilised for the benefit of Nigerians.

“These are assets belonging to Nigerians, and our responsibility is to ensure that they are completed, functional and occupied by the people who need them,” he said.

Mr Darma said the review was part of the dederal government’s efforts to advance the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda and improve access to affordable and decent accommodation.

He explained that the approach would prioritise viable projects for completion, while existing housing infrastructure would also be improved to ensure optimal utilisation.

“Our target is clear, where projects are viable, we will upgrade them, complete them and ensure that Nigerians can benefit from them,” the minister said.

Mr Darma said the government was determined to increase housing delivery and reduce the country’s housing deficit before the end of 2026.

He added that the recovery and completion of abandoned projects would complement the construction of new housing developments under the federal government’s housing programmes.

According to him, maximising existing investments would enable the government to deliver housing more efficiently and prevent resources already committed to abandoned projects from being wasted.

The minister also stressed that completed housing units would be allocated transparently to deserving Nigerians, while the assessment would guide strategies for the completion, rehabilitation and eventual allocation of the projects.

(NAN)