The Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace and Good Governance has called for the settlement of outstanding payments owed to contractors involved in the stalled Bwari Housing Project.
The group alleged the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) had abandoned the “initiative for personal interests, despite available funds.”
According to the coalition, the FHA leadership has allegedly “withheld payments for completed work, leaving contractors in financial ruin.”
In a statement signed in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Isa Yakubu the coalition, lamented the contractors’ worsening plight.
The statement added that some of the contractors have allegedly suffered strokes or even lost their lives due to the distress.
The group alleged that the management is attempting to cancel the project and reassign it to preferred associates while leaving the initial contractors unpaid.
According to the statement, the Bwari Housing Project, awarded in April 2022, faced delays when contractors couldn’t begin work for six months due to site unpreparedness.
Read Also: Over N100bn spent on Bwari road projects, education, security – Wike
“This setback, coupled with rising costs of materials, labour, and transportation, made completion challenging.
“Despite these obstacles, many contractors finished and handed over buildings as instructed by the current administration in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing Initiative aims to deliver 500,000 housing units annually. However, once the new management took over, payments ceased,” the statement said.
According to the statement, some of the contractors took loans with high interest rates, used properties as collateral, and are now facing confiscations due to non-payment by the FHA.
“Contractors continue to bear the brunt of these decisions, with many unable to return to the site without outstanding payments. What was intended to be an affordable housing project has now turned into an abandoned venture, marred by financial struggles and leadership neglect,” the statement said.