The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has bemoaned the poor quality of work in the construction of its 500 Housing Units project at Dungal, a community on the outskirts of Bauchi metropolis.
WikkiTimes learnt that the houses were designed in a cluster-block style, consisting of four blocks of two-bedroom bungalows with a veranda and a courtyard constructed on about 400 square meters of land.
In 2021, the Commission laid the foundation for the construction of the houses as part of its strategies to provide affordable and befitting housing accommodation to people displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in the region.
Data obtained from Human Rights Watch shows that the over a decade-long insurgency displaced 2.2 million in the northeast. The vast majority of the victims, projected to be 1.8 million, were from Borno State. Also, the conflict forced 280,000 people to become refugees, living in, mainly, three neighbouring countries – Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Major-General Paul Tarfa (rtd), Chairman NEDC Governing Board, dropped the displeasure while inspecting projects of the Commission in Bauchi.
He warned the contractor to strictly handle the project in compliance with the Bill of Quantity, on the basis of which the contract was awarded.
Meanwhile, the Commission summoned the contractor to report to the commission’s Headquarters in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
WikkiTimes reports that Tarfa led other members of the NEDC’s hierarchy to the sites of other projects including the ongoing construction of the Medical Emergency Unit and Ophthalmology complex at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital.
