Tension in Bauchi as Residents Face Eviction from National Housing Estate Handed to Air Force

From Paul Orude Bauchi

Anxiety and tension have gripped residents of the National Housing Programme (NHP) estate along Ningi Road, Bauchi, following the federal government’s decision to transfer the 270 housing units to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

The decision  has sparked anger and criticism from residents, who accuse the authorities of abandoning the original vision of the project.

Initiated in 2016 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the NHP was designed to provide affordable homes for civil servants and low- to middle-income Nigerians. 

However, the recent handover has raised questions about government priorities, with critics arguing that the transfer undermines public trust in social housing schemes.

“We are shocked and disappointed,” said Muhammad Kabir, Secretary of the Residents’ Committee.

 “These houses were meant for ordinary Nigerians, not the military, which already has housing schemes. Many of us have lived here for years and filled official forms. Now we are being chased out.”

Residents argue that the move contradicts government promises to address Nigeria’s housing deficit, especially at a time when inflation and rising rents are forcing families into deeper hardship.

The Ministry of Housing, however, maintains that the occupants are “illegal settlers” and has given them 48 hours to vacate.

Observers say the controversy highlights the larger policy dilemma facing the Tinubu administration: whether social welfare projects like the NHP will truly serve citizens or be diverted for institutional use.

For years, the National Housing Programme estate along Ningi Road in Bauchi symbolised hope for dozens of families who believed they had finally found affordable shelter. Today, that hope is slipping away.

“We woke up to soldiers moving into the houses and ordering us to vacate,” said  Kabir,

 “We are pleading with the government to reconsider. Where do we go from here?”

The Ministry of Housing recently issued a 48-hour eviction notice, calling the residents “illegal occupants.” 

But many argue they had completed official expression-of-interest forms and expected to be considered as beneficiaries.

Now, mothers fear losing the only stable home their children have known, while fathers speak of betrayal by a project originally designed for civil servants and low-income earners.

The residents have vowed to seek legal redress and appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Housing Minister, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, for intervention.

“This is not just about houses,” Kabir added. “It’s about fairness and dignity. We deserve to be treated as human beings.

Many residents, some of whom have lived in the estate for up to six years, say they were shocked to see Air Force personnel moving in and ordering them to vacate. They argue that they had earlier expressed interest through official forms and expected to be considered as beneficiaries.

“We woke up to find military officers telling us to leave the houses we have lived in for years. Where do they expect us to go?” asked Muhammad Kabir, Secretary of the Residents’ Committee. He described the development as unfair, stressing that the estate was originally intended to ease the housing burden of ordinary Nigerians, not military institutions.

The Ministry of Housing recently issued a 48-hour eviction notice, describing the occupants as “illegal settlers.” But the residents insist they will resist through legal means.

Kabir vowed: “We will not break the law, but we will go to court. The National Housing Programme was never meant to be handed to the Air Force. We deserve to be treated with justice.”

The residents have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Housing, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, to intervene before families are displaced.

Efforts to get comments from the Federal Controller of Housing in Bauchi, Arc. Nwamadu Herbertson, proved unsuccessful at press time.