A civil society organisation, Concerned Northern Frontier CNF, has protested against the cancellation of approved projects by the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and re-awarded by some current ministers.
The group’s Convener, Mohammed Bassa, at a press briefing in Abuja, stated that the act was quite a hostile action against the former administration.
Bassa, specifically made a reference to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, whom he claimed had set up a committee to review some of the policies initiated by his predecessor.
He said the group would, also, love to know the intention behind the setting up of the various committees to review the agencies under him.
“We have watched over time activities of some Ministers under President Tinubu’s government that is signaling trouble ahead for the regime based on their actions and activities against the people and most policies of the former government.
“It has come to our notice that most of them are cancelling approvals and setting aside approvals granted by some former ministers before leaving office.
“This shows a clear hostility against the former administration that is supposed to be a continuous but what we are having is needless battles for supremacy which we as a groups believe is without the consent of the President and thus must be checked on time.
“The current minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has been making unprintable remarks concerning most agencies under him, with emphasis on Mortgage Bank and Federal Housing Authority, an agency he led before been appointed as Minister.
“We wish to know under what basis is he evaluating them, when he himself has not in any way show genuine leadership and needed transformation in the housing and urban sector ever since his inception in office.
“We are demanding to know how much he has collected ever since assumption in office, and what he used the allocation of 100 billion naira for being release to the ministry.
“We also wish to know the real intention of the various committees set up to review the agencies under him, we hope it’s not to set in place privatization agenda that will knock out mass of our people especially in the Federal Mortgage Bank and Federal Housing Estates and what he has done with the said allocations, and stop reversing good initiatives of the former Minister and the agencies under the ministry,” he said.
He called on the National Assembly to carry out their oversight function to further investigate reasons why the said Minister is revoking old contracts and re- awarding same to new persons based on settlement.
“This act calls for concern and should be investigated to prevent Cold War between former regime and the present.
“This steps and statements are pointer to the fact that, the Minister is destroying legacies of previous government via reversal and cancelation of initial policies.
“This policy been recently discredited needs to be reviewed and select one that can further entrench democracy in our society.
“This informs why we call on the Ministers to face the renewed hope agenda and stop destroying former policies and seek advice from experience technocrats.
“We are aware of significant progress and transformation made by the Federal Housing Authority with significant improvement of federal housing units of over 700 units, with 333 of it located in Bwari Local Government, we have this replicated across the country such as in Oweri, Port Harcourt etc.
“This and many more are what the recent minister want to truncate and start afresh. This will perch the recent government against the former and this should be avoided now.
“We do not need cancellation of people oriented policies for political reasons, rather all hands must be on deck to rally round the new government and entrench good initiative of former regime for betterment of all.
“As group rooting for the renewed hope agenda of Mr President, we call on the Minister and other head of agencies with similar traits to stop and focus on deliverables needed now and not discredit what’s has been done by former government but rather it should be make more robust and delivered upon.
“These agencies under the Housing and Urban Development Ministry should be allowed to deliver on their mandate and further encouraged rather than what we are having now,” added.
He urged President Bola Tinubu “to call to order the Ministers trying to play politics with the approvals and progress made by former regime.
“They should be made to work and support the renew agenda by showing records of their new initiatives and not passing uncomplimentary comments on activities of previous government.
“While the head of agencies under them should deliver on their mandate to Nigerians and stop playing politics at this juncture of our national history.”
