The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, has discovered that contrary to official records, only 130 of the 250 federal housing units have been completed in Katsina.
The official records claimed that all the houses have been completed.
However, during a visit to the site of the Renewed Hope housing project in Batagarawa, the Minister found about 120 houses uncompleted.
The project was awarded in December 2024 with a six-month completion timeline, but funding constraints prevented delivery.
It could be recalled that the Federal Government did not release funds for capital projects in 2025.
Darma however said the contractors have no excuse for delaying the project.
“It is not good for someone who has signed a contract agreement and said he will finish a project within a specified period, only to delay it for over three times the agreed duration without obtaining an extension,” a visibly dissatisfied Mr Darma said during the inspection.
The minister rejected claims of funding constraints raised by some of the contractors, asserting that none of the defaulting firms formally approached the ministry to seek an extension of time as required under contractual and procurement procedures.
“None of them did that, and as far as we are concerned, they have violated the contract agreement,” he added.
The minister also identified signs of early structural deterioration in some of the buildings, raising concerns about construction quality.
Darma warned that the federal government would not accept defective structures from contractors.
“If we take over these houses and find them in bad shape, we will not accept them. The contractors will be required to fix all defects before handover,” he said.
The minister said the findings in Katsina highlighted the risks of relying solely on reports submitted from project sites without independent verification.
He ordered for a comprehensive audit of the contractors, mobilisation dates, contract terms, amounts released, and actual completion percentages.
