Bauchi NHP Housing handed to Air Force, sparks residents’ protest

Bauchi NHP Housing units on Ningi Road have been handed over to the Nigerian Air Force, sparking protests from residents who claim they were original beneficiaries

The federal government has formally handed over the 270 housing units of the National Housing Programme (NHP) located on Ningi Road, Bauchi State, to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), a move that has sparked protests from residents who have been living in the estate for several years.

The NHP project, which was initiated in 2016 during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, was designed to address the growing housing deficit in Nigeria by providing affordable accommodation for civil servants and low-to-middle-income earners.

The housing units, according to government statements at the time, were intended to improve living standards and ease the burden of housing costs for Nigerians.

Confirming the handover, a senior official from the Federal Ministry of Housing in Bauchi, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained that the ceremony was led by a representative of the Minister of Housing.

“The housing units have indeed been handed over to the Nigerian Air Force. The houses are no longer under the ministry,” the official said, emphasizing that the decision had been officially sanctioned at the federal level.

However, residents currently occupying the estate expressed anger and disappointment at the decision.

Many claimed that they had completed and submitted Expression of Interest (EOI) forms, and were therefore taken aback by the federal government’s move.

Muhammad Kabir, secretary of the Residents’ Committee, told journalists that they were surprised to see Air Force personnel moving into the estate and ordering them to vacate.

“We woke up to find Air Force officers occupying our homes and telling us to leave.

“We are pleading with the federal government to reconsider this decision because we have nowhere else to go.

“These houses were built to help low-income Nigerians, not the military, which already has its own housing schemes,” Kabir lamented.

Kabir further vowed to challenge the handover in court, stressing that the residents have every legal right to seek redress.

“We will not break the law, but we also have every right to pursue legal action. The NHP was never intended to be handed over to an institution like the Air Force,” he said, describing the situation as both unfair and disheartening.

He added that some occupants had lived in the estate for up to six years and had developed a legitimate expectation of security in the property.

The tension escalated after the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development issued a final eviction notice to the residents, describing them as “illegal settlers” and instructing them to vacate the premises within 48 hours.

The notice intensified the residents’ appeal to federal authorities for intervention.

In response to the eviction, the residents have directed a formal appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Housing, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, requesting urgent intervention to protect the intended beneficiaries of the housing project.

They argued that the handover contradicts the original purpose of the NHP, which was to provide affordable housing to ordinary Nigerians.

The unfolding dispute highlights ongoing tensions between federal housing initiatives and their local implementation, raising questions about transparency, accountability, and the rights of ordinary citizens in government housing projects.