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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has commissioned a N1.2 billion road project in Apo-Guzape Estate, Abuja, with a stern warning to contractors handling its projects nationwide to return to site or face sanctions.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Managing Director of FHA, Mr. Oyetunji Ojo, declared that the days of contractors abandoning projects under flimsy excuses were over, stressing that the authority will pursue defaulters until they deliver. “Whoever knows those contractors should tell them to go back to work, otherwise I will go after them,” he warned.
The newly commissioned roads consist of one major stretch on First Avenue and two adjoining roads on 13th Avenue. Ojo explained that the First Avenue project, which measures slightly less than 600 meters, was built with a 12-meter-wide carriageway to serve as a collector road linking different parts of the estate. He described the terrain as “very mountainous” before the intervention and said the construction required professional expertise to meet FHA’s standard of quality.
“It’s about three roads. We are on 1st Avenue. Two roads are linked together, and the width is 12 meters wide. It’s about a little less than 600 meters. That’s for 1st Avenue. It’s this wide because it’s a collector, and when I was talking, I said this area was very, very bad. It was a very mountainous area. We ensured that we put in so much professionalism into this, and for us, standard is key,” he explained.
He added that the road had been designed with modern features, including walkways, a robust drainage system, and a bus cover wide enough to contain hydraulic inflows. The project, he noted, has already improved access for residents of the estate who previously struggled to reach their homes due to poor infrastructure.
“This road is going to serve as a collector. It’s like the main road that will take you to the next estate. Before we started this project, people staying up there never had access to their home, but this (road) has provided access. And if you look at the road, we have a walkway; we have sufficient drainage to take water. We also have a bus cover that is sufficiently wide enough to take hydraulic inflow. So, by and large, this will serve the residents so well. Then, the 13th Crescent is a close that has been abandoned for quite some time, but we are glad that we’ve been able to do all and commission all,” Ojo said.
The FHA boss emphasised that the authority’s mandate to provide affordable housing for Nigerians must continue despite economic challenges, particularly inflation which has affected contract values and construction costs.
“Our mandate is to build houses for Nigerians at affordable housing units. You remember that we can’t stop building. That means we can’t stop commissioning. So, it is a continuous project that we have to do. And what we’re doing with the mandate of the president is to make sure that it’s not just in Abuja.
That was why we started from Ibadan. And very shortly, we’ll be seeing the groundbreaking,” he noted.
Ojo admitted that the current cost of the project had gone up significantly compared to the original estimates, but said the authority was determined to press ahead to ensure delivery.
“On this contract sum, it’s a two-way project. There’s going to be a review because of inflation. But I think right now, it should be more than N400, N500 million plus on the two projects. Remember that these were things that were awarded before we came. But due to the fact that when we came in, inflation also came in,” he said.
Beyond road infrastructure, Ojo also revealed that the FHA would soon commission what he described as the tallest and biggest shopping mall in Nigeria, located in Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja. The four-storey facility, situated on Third Avenue, contains 59 shops and a penthouse capable of hosting 250 people.
According to him, the project began in 2018 but was abandoned before the current leadership revived it. “The Gwarinpa project is the tallest, not in terms of width; the tallest, biggest mall in Nigeria, and I stand to be corrected. It’s on 3rd Avenue. It’s hosting 59 shopping malls with a penthouse that can host 250 seats. This was a project that started in 2018 and was abandoned, and by His Grace, in another three, four weeks, it will be commissioned,” he assured.
