When on February 16 2024, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu appointed Hon Oyetunde Ojo to head the management of Federal Housing Authority; little did he know that he was coming to face an institution where corruption had eaten very deep into its fabric of existence.
In the past weeks, Hon Oyetunde Ojo, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive of FHA has faced series of accusations on corruption, which at best can be described as frivolous and unsubstantiated, sponsored by both internal and external forces that have not allowed the agency to grow.
This scenario clearly depicts the picture of “corruption fighting back”
Apart from the mandate to revive the ailing institution towards achieving its mandate of giving affordable and livable houses to Nigerians, along the government’s Renewed Hope mantra, Hon Ojo was confronted with a more difficult task of dealing with a deep rooted network of cabals both within and outside the Authority that have held the agency on its jugular, leaving it for long on life support mechanism.
The institution has improved in service delivery, particularly on its mandate of housing provision and its approach to conduct of government business.
FHA was a haven of irregularities ranging from issues of double allocations, loss of allottees property files, cloning and sale of people’s properties were rife, with the Authority ranking top on the list of fraud cases in the EFCC, Police and ICPC, as can be verified from the agency’s legal department.
Insider collusion in shortchanging the organization became the easiest way for some of the strategically placed staff to get very rich overnight.
Official under valuation of the Authority’s properties was a norm to the personal benefit of schedule officers.
One of the most embarrassing situations was when the agency, which has existed for over 50 years was unable to indicate the exact number of houses it has built.
Findings from this reporter revealed that some staff till date, hid the agency’s houses in some of the estates.
This state of affairs left some ancillary staff, whose departments are not directly in properties to be disgruntled and in a very low spirit, which left them without any other options than to turn into “agents’.
The Authority became a sorry sight, decayed and a definition of corruption, and on the verge of bankruptcy.
This was the real state of affairs when Hon Ojo was sent to FHA.
His welcome package was to stay without electricity for the first two weeks in office. The Authority, struggling to pay salary could not afford the AEDC electricity bill for the period nor could buy diesel.
Disappointed but optimistically defiant to succeed, Hon Ojo with a rich background in entrepreneurship and public service, availed his wealth of strategic insight and leadership experience, to initiate bold reforms to revamp the Authority.
He immediately went to work by consulting with all cadres of management.
He firmly stated that FHA has what it takes to succeed, and called for total change of attitude.
He appealed to staff that engaged in sharp practices to stop and desist from such.
His first official directive was that no file should be on any staff’s table for more than 24 hours. He immediately empowered the Servicom and Anti-Corruption unit of the Authority to embark on monitoring of this directive from the offices of the Executive Directors down to the least office.
Dissatisfied with the analogue operations of the agency, Hon Ojo on the 1st of May, 2024, less than 3 months in office, flagged off the digitalization drive of the Authority.
By this, he put to an end all analogue operation of the Authority’s property files. Through this, he ensured the security of property files, enhanced speedy service delivery and checked fraud.
The management also put an end to the issuance of hand written receipts in the Authority.
The Managing Director went further to ensure the accuracy of the number of the Authority’s houses and land bank by acquiring the Max 350 drone, making FHA the 3rd government institution to own that drone.
With this, all the Authority’s properties have been precisely identified and every illegally annexed land revealed.
Hon Ojo, through determination and exceptional hard work has been able to place FHA on a good financial standing by increasing the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He was able to do this by ensuring the proper valuation of the Authority's properties, setting up Revenue Task teams that are empowered to collect all of the agency’s outstanding statutory charges.
Hon Ojo’s drive completely ended the issue of developers building without approvals in FHA estates, which further enhanced Internally Generated Revenue, through the payment of building approval fees.
To sustain this move, a strong enforcement team is in place, which Hon Ojo leads by himself.
A recent visit to the Authority, showcases ambience and an environment conducive for work. Through the rise in the IGR, Hon Ojo has been able to employ many young Nigerians into the agency. Some of the beneficiaries of the recruitment are adhoc staff who have been for years with the organisation, physically challenged persons, and Youth corpers with exceptional service records.
These laudable reforms became the source of challenges to Hon Ojo. In a typical case of “corruption fighting back”, the strong syndicate that are favorably disposed to the status-quo in the Authority became bent on frustrating the efforts of the Managing Director in reforming the agency, the major target being the digitalization process that ended their illegal activities.
To achieve their objective, these people resorted to cheap blackmails through sponsored write - ups. Typical of all concocted and false fabrications, the allegations lacked any iota of veracity and substance.
There is no gain saying that there are fifth columnists within the Authority. The interaction of this reporter with some staff of the Authority however revealed huge support for the Oyetunde Ojo led management.
The staff who acknowledged that FHA has never had it this good in many years, all agreed that the few bad eggs whose channels of corruption are bent on distracting the good things happening in the agency.
A lady member of staff, who spoke under anonymity, questioned; “Do you want to tell me that the Authority is not far better now than it was two years ago?” Questioning further, she also asked why these people did not start this their “rascality” when previous management could barely pay salaries, when staff had to buy their own stationary to work, when electricity was shared to only the office of the MD/CEO and the Executive Directors, while the other units remain in darkness and heat. She concluded that the blackmail is the hand work of few criminals whose channel of fraud has closed as a result of the innovation of the current Management.
Another male staff, dismissed the frivolous write ups as trash. He also questioned why the channel of the empty write up is a discredited online out fit that thrives in sensationalism and falsehood.
He dared the sponsors of the charade to use a responsible media outfit that would investigate and listen to all side to press their point if thy are serious.
He questioned where the staff were when previous management were plundering the Authority’s land in Abuja and Lagos, without the payment of the necessary charges and associated infrastructure.
He also queried why they did not protest when management was borrowing funds from partners and contractors to furnish the management’s office.
Other staff that spoke, were of the opinion that the Hon Ojo led management deserves accolades for the great innovation it has brought in the agency in 17 months.
They noted that the MD has done well to settle the huge debts he inherited, especially in paying hundreds of millions of naira in compensation in some of the land the Authority had acquired before he resumed , which have been “balkanised”.
It should be recalled that FHA under Hon Oyetunde Ojo was among the first agency to implement the new National minimum wage, which covered its Adhoc staff.
The Authority under Hon Ojo steadily pays all remunerations and emoluments.
It was Hon Ojo that upgraded the Authority’s Staff Canteen to standards befitting of a corporate entity, where food is sold at a subsidised rate.
Hon Ojo in furtherance to boosting the staff moral and confidence approved FHA’S first time participation in the Federal Civil Service games. The Authority’s football team for the first time participated in The FCT football league, and as debutants ,qualified as runners up in the Division 2, gaining promotion to the first division.
FHA under Ojo has witnessed rise in Human Capital development and staff are now trained both locally and internationally.
The Authority is very close to full digitalization in all operations, and staff operating under maximum comfort in the most conducive work environment.
Management under Hon Ojo became the first in the Authority to achieve inter connectivity of all the Zonal offices.
Staff of the head office could communicate real time with zonal staff because of the strong internet infrastructure in the Authority.
Hon Ojo’s management has introduced the Clocking machine to check truancy and engender punctuality to work.
Hon Ojo vowed to complete all abandoned projects he inherited. On the 21st of July, 2025, he commissioned the first phase of 100 units of houses in FHA Estate, Ajoda, Ibadan, which was abandoned since 2018. Management has also completed the Express View Estate 1, in Lugbe, FCT, awaiting its commissioning.
The Authority is also set to commission its Shopping malls in Lugbe and Gwarinpa estates, projects that were moribund before now. Under this Management, the Authority’s Mortgage bank, under the Chairmanship of Hon Ojo has moved into its corporate head office in Gwarinpa estate, Abuja, FCT.
Management under Hon Ojo also has the record of setting up the FHA Energy Company Ltd, the Authority’s second subsidiary, licensed to distribute energy with the target of powering all of the Authority’s estates.
The Authority also, recently set up a laboratory to carry our integrity tests on buildings and geological surveys under the Research and Innovation Department.
Hon Oyetunde Ojo has undoubtedly displayed capacity , dexterity and an unflinching determination to take Federal Housing Authority higher. His records within this short period in office speaks volume of this courage and indefatigable spirit.
Hon Oyetunde Oladimeji remains ever focused. on his mission of turning Federal Housing Authority around
