Federal Govt Plans to Sell Godwin Emefiele’s Duplexes to Ordinary Nigerians

The Federal Government has finalised plans to sell a massive housing estate linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to low and middle-income Nigerians.

The huge property, which contains 753 housing units, was recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in December 2024. According to the EFCC, it is the largest single asset recovery since the agency was created in 2003.

The estate covers over 150,000 square metres and includes duplexes and other types of flats.

The estate was recovered following a final forfeiture order issued on 2nd December 2024, by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.

Court documents filed by the EFCC linked the property to Emefiele.

In April 2025, Emefiele approached an FCT High Court in a bid to reclaim the estate, which had already been forfeited to the government.

He accused the EFCC of deliberately concealing the forfeiture proceedings from him, despite frequent interactions with the agency regarding other pending charges.

His application was, however, dismissed by the court.

The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, 20th May 2025, officially handed over the 753 housing units to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa.

The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Housing, Badamasi Haiba, said the government, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, would ensure that ordinary Nigerians benefited.

He noted that the estate was still under construction, and the ministry would first conduct structural and integrity assessments before deciding on the modalities of sale and allocation.

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

Regarding how the houses will be sold, he said the ministry’s online portal would be used, promising that the payment options would be flexible.