The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Katsina State has faulted the selection of Radda and Kankia for the construction of 3,750 housing units, describing the decision as unjustifiable and potentially wasteful.

The coalition’s chairman, AbdulRahman Abdullahi, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with THISDAY on Saturday, arguing that the state government had failed to provide clear reasons for concentrating such a massive investment in only two communities.

On January 22, 2026, the Katsina State Government and COSMOS Residential City Nigeria Limited signed a N155 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of 3,750 housing units in Radda and Kankia.

The project has, however, generated controversy, largely because Radda is the hometown of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, while Kankia is linked to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.

Abdullahi questioned the rationale behind citing 1,250 housing units in Radda and 2,500 in Kankia, asking who the intended beneficiaries were. “How many people in Radda and Kankia are without houses? How many of them are farmers who truly need this kind of intervention?” he asked, warning that poor planning could lead to abandoned or underutilised structures.

He cautioned that the project could repeat the mistakes of previous housing schemes, citing estates constructed during the administration of former Governor Ibrahim Shema, popularly known as “Shema Quarters”.

“In some local governments, those houses were poorly located due to sentiment and selfish interests. In places like Zakka, Danmusa and Yantumaki, many of the houses are now dilapidated and unoccupied, with roofs blown off and walls cracked because the projects were not appropriately sited,” he said.

According to him, the N155 billion earmarked for the project could have a broader impact if spread across the state’s 34 local government areas.

“If you divide N155 billion by the 34 local government areas, each would benefit to the tune of about N4.5 billion. Likewise, if the 3,750 houses are distributed across the 34 LGAs, each would get at least 110 housing units. That way, more people would benefit,” he said.

He stressed that the investment was too large to be restricted to only two communities and urged the government to rethink its approach to avoid repeating past failures.

The Katsina CSOs chairman added that the criteria for selecting Radda and Kankia remained unclear, whether in terms of population, agricultural relevance or security concerns.

“We have not seen any justification for the selection of these communities — whether by population size, farming activities or insecurity. If the intention is to address insecurity or resettle displaced persons, concentrating the project in just two communities does not achieve that,” he argued.

However, the state Head of Service, Alhaji Falalu Bawale, said the locations were proposed by COSMOS

Residential City Nigeria Limited based on land availability, agricultural suitability and logistics, not political considerations.

Speaking at a press conference in Katsina, Bawale also dismissed claims that the project would be funded by the state government, insisting it was a privately financed initiative.

He said the role of the state was limited to land provision, facilitation and policy support, adding that the project would not cost the government “a kobo”.

Bawale said: “We have seen comments suggesting that the Katsina State Government is about to spend billions of naira to construct 3,750 houses. That is not true. This is not a construction contract, and it does not require the state government to spend a kobo.”

According to him, the investors plan to integrate housing development with agriculture, train participants, pay monthly stipends and recover their investment through the sale of agricultural produce.

He added that the project would eventually be extended to Funtua and Daura senatorial districts. (This Day)

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