….As community appeals for inclusion
The contractor handling the construction of IDP resettlement housing at Yelewata community, which was ravaged by a devastating incident in June 2025, Rural Empowerment Initiative, has confirmed that the project has reached 53.6 percent completion, saying the project would be ready by the end of April, 2026.
The Managing Director of the company, Joachim Ojemu, who reaffirmed government’s commitment to timely completion of the project, disclosed this on Tuesday during an inspection tour led by the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benue Council, Comrade Bemdoo Ugber.
He stated that the pilot project is expected to be completed within 90 days, with an ambitious target of 60-80 days. “As of now, 30 out of 45 units are at roofing level, with the rest at various stages of construction. In the next two weeks all of them will be at roofing level”, he said.
Recall that the Benue State Government had on January 23rd, 2026, flagged off the construction of resettlement homes for IDPs in the community, with a 62-unit housing project. The project is part of a larger plan to resettle internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Ojemu said the project is worth N277 million and includes provisions for a primary school, town hall, primary healthcare center, and warehouse, among other amenities. He explained that the state government has plans to build 363 two-bedroom flats in the community, with the pilot project comprising 62 units.
The contractor disclosed that the company has engaged local labour and subcontracted some of the work to indigenous people, providing them with training and employment opportunities.
On the selection criteria of beneficiaries, the contractor explained that the selection criteria for the housing units would be determined by an international partner, and not by the Benue State Government. He added that the project is being funded by the government, and that they have not experienced any challenges with funding.
A resident of the community, Aza Aondoakaa Sylvanus, who is also the President of the Yelewata Youth Vanguard Forum, expressed gratitude to the government and the contractor for the project. However, he appealed for an increase in the number of housing units, stating that the current 62 units would not be enough to accommodate all the affected families.
“We appreciate the gesture, but we are saying that the government should know that these houses cannot even take care of up to 20% of the people who are displaced,” Sylvanus said. “We are appealing for an increase in the number of housing units, at least 500 units, to accommodate all families.”
The project is part of the Benue State Government’s efforts to resettle IDPs and restore stability in the community. The government has received N1.275 billion in donations, including N1 billion from the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to support the initiative.
The project is expected to provide much-needed shelter for the displaced residents of Yelewata and boost the local economy through employment and infrastructure development.
Meanwhile, the community has appealed to be carried along in the deliberations of the committee set up by the state government on the resettlement of IDPs, headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Deborah Aber.
The Publicity Secretary of the Yelewata Youth Vanguard Forum, Achin Mathias, who spoke on behalf of Fidelis Dze, Chairman of the Yelewata Elders’ Forum, lamented that apart from the inaugural meeting of the committee, members of the committee from the community have not been part of any deliberations on the ongoing resettlement programmes.
