CONCERNS about the effectiveness of the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing (RHH) scheme sparked a heated exchange among lawmakers during a budget defense session with the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development.
Legislators questioned whether the scheme was reaching ordinary Nigerians who are the intended beneficiaries.
The session, which focused on the ministry’s 2024 budget, saw some lawmakers asking about the distinction between the RHH project and the National Housing Program.
Presenting a budget that cited over ₦6 billion as internally generated revenue, the Minister of State, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata admitted his confusion, saying “I’m yet to understand the difference between the two.”
Tensions rose when Minister Ata disclosed that over 7,500 housing units were under construction, with 3,000 completed in various regions.
Senator Abdul Ningi, however, expressed skepticism about the project’s impact and public awareness, prompting a defensive response from another lawmaker. The confrontation briefly disrupted the session before order was restored.
Following the heated exchange, the committee chairman excused Gwarzo, directing him to return on Tuesday to provide more detailed information on the impact of the housing initiatives.
The minister also spoke on the N100 billion 2023 supplementary budget utilisation.
He noted that “The amount released so far was utilised to pay outstanding certificates of payments owed to contractors for various projects such as the Renewed Hope Housing Cities and estates, completion of the National Housing Programme, construction and rehabilitation of federal secretariats and general improvements of infrastructure across the country.”
