The Federal Government has unveiled plans to sell a massive housing estate linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele, making it available to ordinary Nigerians under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope housing initiative.

The sprawling estate, which comprises 753 housing units and spans over 150,000 square metres, was recovered in December 2024 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to the commission, it is the largest single asset recovery since the agency was established in 2003.

The estate includes a range of housing types such as duplexes and other apartments.

It was recovered after a final forfeiture order was granted on December 2, 2024, by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. Court filings by the EFCC linked the property to Emefiele.

In April 2025, Emefiele approached another FCT High Court in a failed attempt to reclaim the property, accusing the EFCC of hiding the forfeiture proceedings from him despite their ongoing interactions over other charges. The court dismissed his application.

On Tuesday, EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede officially handed over the 753-unit estate to the minister of housing and urban development, Ahmed Dangiwa.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the ministry’s director of press and public relations, Badamasi Haiba, said the government intends to ensure ordinary citizens benefit from the recovered property.

“The intention of the minister has always been homeownership for all categories of Nigerians, including low and middle-income earners – so we should expect to see such intentions play out here, all-inclusive,” Haiba said.

He explained that although the estate is still under construction, the ministry would begin by assessing the structures before proceeding to profile the houses for sale. The process will be done through the ministry’s official portal.

“Next would be to profile the houses and decide how they will be sold to Nigerians,” Haiba noted.

“Homes sold by the ministry will always have flexible payment options, including mortgage, instalment, rent-to-own payment, etc., whether in this case or any other.”

He added that over 10,000 housing units are nearing completion nationwide under the Renewed Hope Housing Programme. The sales will be conducted via the government’s digital portal: renewedhopehomes.fmhud.gov.ng.

When asked about when the portal will open for applications, Haiba clarified, “The Housing Ministry will first complete the houses. Construction was ongoing before the recovery by the EFCC.”

Haiba also dismissed speculations that the houses would be secretly allocated to politically connected individuals.

“People will always speculate, maybe due to experiences from years ago. The present Renewed Hope administration is doing something different in promoting transparency and accountability,” he said.

“With the renewedhopehomes.fmhud.gov.ng portal, the ministry has cut off human interference to ensure that the sales process is transparent and all-inclusive.

“Any Nigerian can sit in their home, log onto the portal, browse through the different types of units and locations, select the house they want, select a payment option, submit their application, and get an offer letter right there and then.”