The Network of Abuja Left Groups has demanded that the recently forfeited 753 duplexes linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, be repurposed as community-owned housing for the homeless and displaced residents of Abuja.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the coalition described the EFCC’s seizure of the Lokogoma estate—spanning over 150,000 square meters—as a significant opportunity to redress years of systemic inequality and corruption. Rather than auctioning the estate to private buyers or allocating the homes to government officials, as has been proposed in some quarters, the coalition is urging for a radical and people-centered alternative.
“We call for the social repossession of the forfeited 753 duplexes to reclaim them for the common people,” the group declared. “This is not just about buildings, but about addressing the structural roots of housing injustice in our society.”
The coalition of ten civil society and leftist organizations—including the Revolutionary Socialist Movement, Socialist Workers League, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, and others—emphasized that Abuja has seen a rise in homelessness and forced evictions, often without compensation or relocation options.
They blamed the ongoing housing crisis on decades of profit-driven urban planning and accused the current FCT administration under Nyesom Wike of deepening the crisis through demolitions and pro-elite policies.
“Housing is not merely a physical structure but a space that nurtures safety, autonomy, and community,” the statement read. “Any government that takes the security of Abuja seriously must invest in the housing welfare of the people.”
The groups further demanded that the redistribution of the seized properties be conducted through a democratic and transparent process involving representatives of civil society, youth groups, traditional communities in Lokogoma, students, market women, informal workers, and trade unions.
They argue that such a redistribution process would ensure true justice and help transform Nigeria’s deeply unequal property relations, while also sending a strong message against corruption and elite impunity.
Beyond the Emefiele-linked estate, the statement also called for a broader policy shift toward public housing. The current dominance of profit-seeking real estate development, they said, has resulted in countless empty estates unaffordable to working people.
“The government must take charge of the housing sector and provide for the working masses,” they said, noting that repossessing and repurposing the 753 duplexes would be a critical first step.
The press statement was jointly signed by activists and representatives from ten organizations. The group is calling on all Nigerians to rally behind their campaign for a socially just and people-oriented housing policy in the capital city and beyond.
