Appeal to President Tinubu to intervene over planned eviction
By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
Occupants of the 2016 National Housing Scheme for low income earners in Bauchi State have staged a peaceful protest over their eviction from the Housing facility.
Speaking to journalists during a protest on Tuesday, the Occupants of the Two Block Bedroom Semi-detached Bungalow, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevent the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development from forcefully ejecting them.
They alleged that the Nigeria Airforce was threatening to eject them from the Estate with the support of the Ministry.
One of the protesters, Mohammed Kabir who is the secretary of the occupants of the facility, said that the peaceful protest was to draw the attention of President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the current plan by the Ministry to eject them.
Kabir claimed that the houses were allocated to them by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development after fulfilling all the necessary requirements before the keys were handed over to them, pointing out that, that was how all the occupants found themselves in the facility.
He said that they were assured by the Ministry at the time of the temporary allocation that the houses will eventually be allocated to them, only to be given eviction notice, that the facility has been sold to the Nigeria Airforce.
Another Protester, Mohammed Alfa, a staff of the federal government who alleged that a percentage was being deducted from his salary for 20 years, said that he was entitled to be allocated the facility and not to be ejected.
“We just woke up one day and realised that this facility has been sold to the Nigeria Airforce and we are being asked to leave the place.We are appealing to the President to help because we are all responsible citizens occupying the place” he said
Mrs Hanatu Sani, another occupant appealed to President Tinubu and the Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State to intervene, saying that most of them have spent resources and energy to prevent the place from decaying when the facility was abandoned.
A Legal Practitioner and Human Rigths Activist, Barrister Mohammed Alkassim, advised the President not to overlook the cries of the people, regarding the current plan to evict them from the facility.
“This issue came to my notice from a complaint I received from a resident of the facility to see a possible legal way to solve the problem.It is very important to look at the provision of the law.
“This Housing Scheme came up in 2016 under the National Housing Programme during the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.The essence of the Housing Scheme was to allow all Nigerians from the various sectors, particularly those from low and medium income levels to participate in the Housing Scheme”
“Now, this Housing Scheme are being referred particularly in our constitution as state policies enshrined under chapter 2 of the 1999 constitution as amended”
On the allegation that the facility had been allocated to the Nigerian Airforce, the legal Practitioner argued that the Ministry of Defence have their own Scheme of Housing acquisition, stressing that the facility is not meant for the Nigerian Airforce.
“Had it been it is all over the federation that it is being alleged that Nigerian Airforce planned to acquire this particular Housing Scheme, the story would have been different, but why Bauchi State? It is important for the ministry of Housing and Urban Development to take this problem as a matter of urgency and come to aid of these displaced people by authorities to vacant the premises within 24 hours” he said
Responding to the complaints of the protesters, the Controller of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Bauchi, Architect Nwamadu Herbertson claimed that the residents are illegal occupants.
He said that the expression of interest forms were initially issued to the citizens sometime ago, but the houses were not officially allocated to anyone Nationwide, adding that sometime in the month April 2025, the expression of interest forms was suspended.
On the allegation that the Housing Scheme has been sold to the Nigerian Airforce, the Controller denied the allegation.