Bauchi Residents Protest Planned Eviction from Federal Housing Estate, Appeal to President Tinubu

From Paul Orude, Bauchi

Residents of the 2016 National Housing Scheme for low-income earners in Bauchi State on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against a planned eviction from their homes, appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and halt the process.

The protesting occupants of the two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows at the Federal Housing Estate claimed that the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force, is attempting to forcefully eject them from the estate.

They carried placards that read: This is not a barrack
We need safety
We are calling on President Tinubu to come to our aid
We have no place to go.

We are homeless . We are homeless before we came here

We are Nigerians, we have all means for allocation of the houses,

Air Force stay away

Mohammed Kabir, secretary of the residents’ association, told journalists that the protest was aimed at drawing President Tinubu’s attention to what he described as an unjust attempt to displace law-abiding citizens. He explained that the houses were initially allocated to them by the Ministry after fulfilling all necessary conditions and receiving keys to the homes.

Kabir said the occupants were given temporary allocations with the promise that the houses would eventually be permanently allotted to them. However, they were recently issued eviction notices on grounds that the estate has allegedly been sold to the Nigerian Air Force.

Another resident, Mohammed Alfa, a federal civil servant, said deductions have been made from his salary for 20 years under the federal housing scheme, making him eligible for ownership. He expressed shock over the sudden notice to vacate.

“We just woke up to discover that the estate has been sold to the Nigerian Air Force, and we are being told to leave,” Alfa said. “We are appealing to President Tinubu to intervene. We are law-abiding citizens who have maintained and preserved this estate from decay after it was abandoned.”

Mrs. Hanatu Sani, another resident, also appealed to both President Tinubu and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, to wade into the matter. She noted that many of the residents had invested their personal resources in maintaining the property after years of neglect.

Human rights lawyer, Barrister Mohammed Alkassim, who is supporting the residents’ legal effort, said the planned eviction is not only unfair but potentially unconstitutional. He cited Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which upholds the right of citizens to decent shelter as a directive principle of state policy.

“The National Housing Programme initiated in 2016 under President Muhammadu Buhari was meant to provide affordable housing for Nigerians, especially low- and middle-income earners. It is not a military housing initiative,” he said.

He questioned why only the Bauchi estate is reportedly being taken over by the Air Force if it is truly a nationwide military acquisition. “If the Air Force has its own housing scheme under the Ministry of Defence, why should it take over this one?” Alkassim asked.

He called on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to urgently address the matter and prevent the potential displacement of the occupants, many of whom were allegedly asked to vacate the premises within 24 hours.

In response to the allegations, Architect Nwamadu Herbertson, Controller of Housing for the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in Bauchi, insisted that the residents are illegal occupants. He said while expression of interest forms were previously issued, no formal allocations were made across the country.

He also denied claims that the estate had been sold to the Nigerian Air Force. According to him, the Ministry suspended issuance of interest forms in April 2025 and has not completed any allocation process.

Despite this denial, the residents remain steadfast in their appeal for presidential intervention, urging that their years of occupancy, financial commitment, and maintenance of the estate be recognized and respected.

Placards carrying protesters appeal to Tinubu to intervene in eviction plan