After 18 years of its proposal, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has commenced the construction of a minimum of 1,200 housing units in its estate in Umuahia, in collaboration with the Abia State government under the Renewed Hope Agenda Housing programme of President Bola Tinubu.
The Renewed Hope Estate, Umuahia, the first of such FHA project in Abia, is sited on a 100-hectare land belonging to five communities in Umuahia North Local Government Area and is coming at time when the Abia capital city is experiencing acute housing deficit, pushing rent skyhigh.
The types of housing the FHA intends to develop in the estate include bungalows, terraces, apartment blocks, semi-detached duplexes and detached duplexes.
Other components of the estate include layouts designated for direct construction by citizens wishing to partner with FHA in developing the estate, and areas for Sites and Services Scheme where lands would be allocated to citizens to develop houses of their choice.
Performing the ground breaking ceremony of the estate along Ubani-Uzuakoli road in Umuahia on Tuesday April 21, 2026, Governor Alex Otti disclosed that the state provided the land and has paid compensation to the families who owned them.
“There were over 900 claimants, those who owned the land. Over 800 out of the claimants have been settled in full. So the remaining less than 100 people, please resolve your problem so that you can take your money.
“We make sure that we settle all the people who have claims before we do ground breaking.
“Those that have not been paid, please, as a matter of urgency, between today and the next one week, go and sort out your problems so that you can collect your money,” the governor said.
He said the project was conceived two years ago when the FHA MD requested to visit him, even as his administration was already working independently on providing affordable housing for Abians, adding that the estate was sited in Umuahia to address the housing deficit in the state capital.
He promised to continue to pay attention to the welfare of Abians.
“No matter what happens, our attention will continue to remain on the welfare of our people. That’s why we are here,” he said.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FHA, Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, said the event was a way of demonstrating commitment of the parties to realising President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing programme in all states of Nigeria.
Ojo said when he led a delegation to the governor and requested for land, Otti readily told them that government has mapped out the land and also assured them of assisting the agency in getting off–takers.
While promising that the project would not be abandoned, Ojo said: “Your Excellency, we are not only developing an estate in Umuahia, we are going to create an environment that is the trade mark and signature Federal Housing Authority is noted for, which would be the pride of Abians.”
Going down memory lane, Commissioner for Lands, Chaka Chukwumerije, told the gathering that FHA’s quest for land for a housing project in Abia commenced 18 years ago, on June 20, 2008, with five sites considered across four LGAs — Ikwuano, Ukwa West, Umuahia South and Umuahia North — which were finally selected.
Chukwumerije disclosed that at its inception, the Otti-led administration had appraised the housing situation and committed to “follow through on the realization of the FHA Housing Project”, which, he said, was consolidated with the visit of FHA team to Governor Otti on April 9, 2024.
“After the initial engagements across the five impacted communities, the entire 100 hectares due to FHA was mapped out, a perimeter survey done, and then a topographical survey also done.
“After these exercises, the state followed through with the land acquisition and a claims survey was carried out, enumeration and valuation of claims done, and compensation paid to all identified claimants,” hence the ground breaking ceremony, he said.
The flag-off of this project after 18 years, “is a clear demonstration of progressive collaboration of the state and the federal in all matters relating to the welfare and development of Abia”.
Also, Commissioner for Housing, Chiemela Uzoije, commended President Tinubu, and Governor Otti, for their commitment towards providing decent housing in practical terms to the people of Abia, noting that the “scheme will bring the much-needed development along this corridor, as well as impact on the socio-economic lives of the people by creating direct and indirect jobs as construction works kick off”.
The FHA General Manager, Partnership, Mr. Peter Okpanachi, and his Estates Services counterpart, Nya-Etok Ezekiel, said the agency was happy to commence the implementation of the housing project.
Okpanachi said the estate would be developed in phases, starting with building houses meant to cater for middle and low-income persons.
Nya-Etok, on his part, disclosed that Abia is the first South-east state to perform ground breaking ceremony and the fifth in the entire country.
President-General of Attah Ibeku Community, Ugochukwu Ibe, speaking on behalf of other PGs of the host communities, said they were grateful that development has been brought to their doorstep and appealed that those yet to get their compensation be paid; while assuring of their support.
In their goodwill messages, Deputy Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Nmeregini, the commissioner representing Abia in the Federal Character Commission, Dr. Victor Ikeji and Hon. Obi Aguocha, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, praised Tinubu for approving the project and commended Otti for attracting the estate.
Thisday News
