Senate postpones housing budget defence over minister’s unpreparedness

.As lawmakers clash over Renewed Hope Housing Scheme

The Senate Committee on Housing has postponed its budget defence session with Yusuf Abdullahi-Ata, minister of state for Housing and Urban Development, after the minister admitted he could not differentiate between the National Housing Scheme and President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda Housing Scheme.

The minister, who was standing in for the substantive Minister, Ahmed Dangiwa, currently on an official trip with President Tinubu, requested more time to prepare adequately or await Dangiwa’s return.

Abdullahi-Ata revealed that he and the ministry’s permanent secretary are new to their roles, further complicating the situation.

Abdullahi-Ata confessed during the session, “I still haven’t understood the difference between the two.

The minister also presented data indicating that 7,522 housing units are under construction across 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory under the National Housing Programme, 3,388 of which have been completed and 4,134 are still ongoing.

The session, chaired by former Sokoto State Governor Senator Aminu Tambuwal, took a contentious turn when lawmakers raised concerns about the visibility of housing projects.

Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) questioned the existence of Renewed Hope Housing units in his constituency, stating, “I have no knowledge at all of this Renewed Hope Housing. Is this Renewed Hope only to you or to Nigerians?”

Ningi also criticised omissions in the ministry’s budget, particularly the lack of detailed personnel and overhead costs.

He further questioned the whereabouts of N22.6 billion from the 2023 supplementary budget, noting that only N77 billion of the allocated N100 billion has been accounted for.

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) defended the ministry, arguing that housing projects require significant time for planning and execution.

However, his comments sparked a heated exchange with Ningi, who accused him of acting as a ‘megaphone’ for the government.

Seriake Dickson, former Bayelsa State governor, and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) joined the call for clarity, emphasising the need for transparency in the implementation of housing schemes.

In response to the minister’s lack of preparedness, Tambuwal directed the ministry to return on Tuesday with a more comprehensive presentation.

Meanwhile, Shehu Ossidi, managing director of the Federal Mortgage Bank, appeared before the committee and highlighted funding shortfalls.

He revealed that only N2.56 billion of the bank’s proposed N5 billion capital base has been paid, with contributions from the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) falling short of expectations.

Tambuwal assured that the committee would address the funding challenges to strengthen the bank’s operations.