The Federal Government has shared the mode it would adopt in selling the Abuja sprawling estate linked to a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
Recall that at the instance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ordered the forfeiture of the 753 housing units to federal government.
Later, legal action by Emefiele to get the forfeiture order reversed on grounds that EFCC concealed the forfeiture proceedings from him, was in vain as Justice Onwuegbuzie maintained his previous decision.
Consequently, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, officially handed over the 753 housing units to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa.
However opinion is rife that the housing units would end up in the hands of those in government.
This, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the the Ministry of Housing, Badamasi Haiba, disputed in an interview with Punchng in which he also shared insight on how it would be sold.
“Next would be to profile the houses and decide how they will be sold to Nigerians. However, the intention of the minister has always been homeownership for all categories of Nigerians, including low and middle-income earners – so we should expect to see such intentions play out here, all-inclusive.
“Homes sold by the ministry will always have flexible payment options, including mortgage, instalment, rent-to-own payment, etc., whether in this case or any other.
“These are just 753 units. The ministry has over 10,000 houses nearing completion nationwide under the Renewed Hope Housing Programme.
“The ministry has a web portal developed where sales of these houses are done – renewedhopehomes.fmhud.gov.ng. The minister has already stated that the same process will be adopted in selling these confiscated houses,” the publication quoted Haiba as saying.
