By Kingsley U.N Chikwendu
The management of the Federal Housing Authority [FHA] today said it held a meeting with representatives of over 200 contractors being owed the sum of 1.5-billion naira by the FHA, saying that “in the spirit of transparency”, it wishes to assure the Nigerian people of the authority’s commitment to “fairness and due diligence”. The meeting was in response to a protest last Tuesday held by the aggrieved contractors working on some projects for the FHA.
In a press statement issued, the FHA said that its new management under the leadership of Senator Gbenga Ashafa has made it a priority to adhere strictly to the ethics of public accountability in the payment of all contractors that have delivered on the “agreed milestones”, as it relates to the housing projects currently under construction.
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It said that the delay in payments that led to the protests was largely due to the extent of “painstaking verification” that needed to be carried out through rigorous auditing, on-site verification and physical inspection, quality control and compliance with global standards. These, the statement said were all in a bid to ensure that the Nigerian people – prospective home owners, get value for their money.
It therefore, assured every contractor whom it said the FHA has enjoyed a long and healthy relationship with, of the commitment of the management to pay off every outstanding debt owed those that have completed their projects and met with all agreed Key Performance Indices by Friday 19th, March, 2021.
