Minister assures Renewed Hope house subscribers of quality

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has assured Nigerians of the integrity of Renewed Hope City, a housing project aimed at bridging the housing deficits in the country.

Speaking during the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development’s oversight visit to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and inspection tour of the Karsana Project Site in Abuja recently, the minister emphasised the government’s commitment to delivering quality housing units.

“The project we inspect today is part of the 3,112 Renewed Hope City for the FCT. The 1,000 units under construction would be delivered by December 2024,” he said.

He added that other phases would be delivered by mid-year 2025.

Dangiwa identified poor design and planning as the primary causes of building collapse in the country.

“Building collapse stems from the fact that designs were not properly done. A building plan approval has to be given. Most of the building collapse happens in the states, not in the FCT, where we have jurisdictions,” he noted.

He assured Nigerians that the houses in Renewed Hope City were well-designed and built with quality materials to prevent building collapse.

“We have to ensure that there is a qualified design by consultants, that there is proper planning approval done by the professionals in the planning authorities, we have to ensure that substandard building materials are not used and ensure that construction activities are done with good building materials,” he added.

He also stressed the importance of having qualified contractors and monitoring them by planning authorities to prevent building collapse.

“We have to ensure that all the planning authorities in charge of the supervision of the construction site ensure that they are monitored while the building is going on. With this, we can ensure building collapse does not occur,” the minister stated.

Meanwhile, stakeholders have urged the government to strengthen development control in buildings.

Recent statistics from the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria have revealed that Nigeria recorded at least 22 deaths, 88 injuries and not less than 22 deaths between January and July 2024.

The Managing Director of Profiled World Homes, Dr Promise Egwim, told The PUNCH in Abuja that the government needed to strengthen development control in the building sector to prevent building collapse and ensure safety in the industry.

“The government needs to do more to ensure that buildings are constructed with safety in mind. We need to have a system in place to check and approve building plans before construction begins.”

 He added, “It is not just about enforcing regulations, but also about educating the public on the importance of safety in building construction. We need to make sure that people understand that building collapse is not just a natural disaster, but also a result of human error.”

Egwim also emphasised the need for the government to provide support for small businesses in the real estate sector, saying, “We need to make it easier for people to start and grow their businesses in this sector. This will not only create jobs but also stimulate economic growth.”

The President of COREN, Professor Sadiq Abubakar, attributed the frequent building collapses to several factors, including the use of substandard materials, structural failure, illegal conversion of buildings, quackery, and inadequate supervision during construction.

 “We can’t investigate building collapses in Nigeria. We don’t have the expertise, the equipment, or the resources to do so,” he said.

 The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing, Aminu Tambuwal, also expressed concern over building collapse cases and the loss of lives and properties.

He blamed the collapse on poor-quality materials and designs.