KOWA YA TUNA BARA!
A Special Investigation by Alfijir Labarai
EDITION 5
1. HOUSING AS PART OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Following our previous editions on the economy, agriculture and small-scale enterprises, this edition examines another important area of public development: housing.
During the 1990s, Abuja was continuing to expand as Nigeria’s Federal Capital. The increasing population and movement of people into the capital created greater demand for decent accommodation.
It was within this broader context that the Gwarinpa II Housing Scheme emerged as a major Federal Housing Authority project.
2. GWARINPA II: A PROJECT INITIATED IN 1996
Official records from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing state that the Federal Housing Authority initiated the Gwarinpa II Housing Scheme in 1996.
The ministry explains that the project was initiated in response to increased demand for decent accommodation in the Federal Capital Territory following the influx of people from Lagos and other parts of Nigeria into Abuja.
The same document states that the project covered approximately 1,090 hectares and was planned to contain more than 5,000 housing units.
This places the beginning of Gwarinpa II within the period of General Sani Abacha’s administration.
However, an important historical distinction must be made.
It would not be accurate to say that Abacha personally “created Gwarinpa.”
The documented fact is that the Federal Housing Authority initiated the Gwarinpa II scheme in 1996, when Abacha was head of state.
3. WHY WAS GWARINPA II IMPORTANT?
The development of Gwarinpa II was part of the wider response to Abuja’s growing demand for housing.
A housing project of this scale involves more than constructing buildings. It also requires infrastructure and services such as roads, water, electricity, drainage and other facilities necessary for a functional residential community.
The Federal Housing Authority continues to identify housing delivery and related infrastructure as part of its mandate.
Gwarinpa II therefore provides an important case study in examining how the Federal Government responded to the housing demands associated with Abuja’s expansion.
4. HOW MANY HOUSING UNITS WERE INVOLVED?
One of the most important findings from our review concerns the number of housing units.
The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing states that Gwarinpa II covered about 1,090 hectares and was planned with more than 5,000 housing units.
However, the FHA’s SERVICOM Handbook lists Gwarinpa II Housing Estate as having 4,147 units, with the development period stated as 1996–2004 and the estate marked “Fully sold.”
Meanwhile, the FHA’s current “Past Projects” page lists Gwarinpa II with 3,377 units, described as “Completion (excl partnership) / sales on-going.”
These figures should not simply be added together.
They appear to reflect different classifications or scopes within official records.
For this reason, Alfijir Labarai will report the figures as stated by each official source rather than presenting an unsupported single total.
5. THE PROJECT EXTENDED BEYOND THE ABACHA YEARS
The timeline is equally important.
The FHA SERVICOM Handbook records the Gwarinpa II development period as 1996–2004.
This means that although the project was initiated in 1996 during the Abacha administration, its development extended beyond 1998.
Therefore, it would be historically inaccurate to attribute the entire construction and completion of Gwarinpa II to the Abacha administration.
A responsible account should distinguish between:
The administration under which the project was initiated;
The administrations that continued its development;
And the administration or administrations under which different phases were completed.
6. GWARINPA II IN THE WIDER FHA HOUSING PROGRAMME
Gwarinpa II was not an isolated FHA housing project.
The FHA’s records show several housing developments in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.
For example, the Authority lists:
Karu Housing Estate — 204 units, built in 1998.
Kado NHP Housing Estate — 1,002 units, with Phases 1 and 2 listed as 1995–1997.
Gwarinpa II Housing Estate — 4,147 units, with the development period listed as 1996–2004.
The FHA’s separate past-project records also list Kano Sharada Estate with 178 units, completed and commissioned in October 1998, and Aladinma & Egbeada Estate in Owerri with 186 units, also completed and commissioned in October 1998.
This shows that Federal housing development during this broader period was not limited to Abuja.
7. THE FINANCING AND INFRASTRUCTURE QUESTION
The financing of Gwarinpa II is another area that deserves careful examination.
FHA documentation records that the project had significant financing and infrastructure issues extending beyond the initial period of development.
For our historical account, however, we should avoid attributing every later financial commitment or expenditure to the Abacha administration unless the relevant contemporary record specifically establishes that connection.
This is particularly important because the documented development period of Gwarinpa II extends from 1996 to 2004.
8. WHAT DOES THE GWARINPA II STORY TELL US?
The history of Gwarinpa II illustrates how major public projects can cross administrative periods.
The Federal Housing Authority initiated the project in 1996 in response to increasing housing demand in Abuja.
The project subsequently continued beyond the Abacha administration, with FHA records placing its development period through 2004.
This makes Gwarinpa II useful for understanding the difference between:
A project being initiated;
A project being implemented;
A project being continued;
And a project being completed.
These stages should not automatically be attributed to one administration.
9. WHAT SHOULD WE REMEMBER?
Our investigation establishes that the Federal Housing Authority initiated the Gwarinpa II Housing Scheme in 1996, during the administration of General Sani Abacha.
The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing says the project covered about 1,090 hectares and was planned with more than 5,000 housing units.
FHA records, however, provide different figures for the estate, including 4,147 units in its SERVICOM Handbook and 3,377 units in its current Past Projects listing.
The FHA Handbook also places the development period at 1996–2004, demonstrating that the project continued beyond the Abacha administration.
Therefore, the most defensible historical statement is:
“The Federal Housing Authority initiated the Gwarinpa II Housing Scheme in 1996, during the Abacha administration, and the development continued beyond 1998.”
That is what the available official records establish.
KOWA YA TUNA BARA!
History is not only about what we choose to remember.
History is about what documents, records and evidence allow us to establish.
In this edition, Alfijir Labarai examines Gwarinpa II not simply to praise or criticise an individual, but to document what the official records say about the project, when it was initiated, how its reported figures differ, and how its development continued beyond the administration under which it began.
Sources:
Federal Ministry of Works and Housing
Federal Housing Authority
FHA SERVICOM Handbook
FHA Past Projects Records
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